Face/Off

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Face/Off has it all: nonstop action, creative (though a far-fetched) plot, intelligence, wit and superb acting. But at times, there's a little too much of everything. Several scenes could have easily been cut in half without losing any of the operatic intensity. Deranged terrorist Castor Troy (Cage) killed 5-year-old Michael Archer with a bullet intended for his FBI agent dad, Sean (Travolta). Six years later, Sean is still out for Castor's tail, and gets it after a long, windy battle that leaves Castor in a coma. While Castor lies in a hospital bed, a bomb ticks away somewhere in LA, and Castor's imprisoned brother, Pollux (Nivola), is the only other person who knows its whereabouts. Sean undergoes a top-secret operation that exchanges his face and body with that of Castor's so he can get Pollux to talk. While Sean suffers in a maximum-security prison, Castor wakes, has the same surgery and poses as Sean. Face/Off is what a summer blockbuster is meant to be.