Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
John Travolta | ... | ||
Nicolas Cage | ... | ||
Joan Allen | ... | ||
Alessandro Nivola | ... | ||
Gina Gershon | ... | ||
Dominique Swain | ... | ||
Nick Cassavetes | ... | ||
Harve Presnell | ... |
Victor Lazarro
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Colm Feore | ... | ||
John Carroll Lynch | ... |
Prison Guard Walton
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CCH Pounder | ... |
Hollis Miller
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Robert Wisdom | ... | ||
Margaret Cho | ... | ||
James Denton | ... |
Buzz
(as Jamie Denton)
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Matt Ross | ... |
Loomis
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Sean Archer, a very tough, rugged FBI Agent. Who is still grieving for his dead son Michael. Archer believes that his son's killer is his sworn enemy, a very powerful criminal, Castor Troy. One day, Archer has finally cornered Castor, however, their fight has knocked out Troy cold. As Archer finally breathes easy over the capture of his enemy, he finds out that Troy has planted a bomb that will destroy the entire city of Los Angeles and all of its inhabitants. Unfortunately the only other person who knows its location is Castor's brother Pollux, and he refuses to talk. The solution, a special operation doctor that can cut off people's faces, and can place a person's face onto another person. Archer undergoes one of those surgeries to talk to Pollux. However, Castor Troy somehow regains consciousness and now wants revenge on Archer for taking his face. Not only is Troy ruining Archer's mission, but his personal life as well. Archer must stop Troy again. This time, it's personal. Written by John Wiggins
This one has a tough job of convincing the audience that the main characters, Travolta and Cage, could swap faces via plastic surgery and still be convincing as one another. It works! Woo has a certain style down-the long flowing robes, slow mo shootouts, orchestral hype in the background, furious shoot outs, explosions, etc. Essentially a more stylish Bruckheimer movie if ya think about it.
I have always liked the Bald guy and Gina Gershon here the most from the supporting cast, and enjoyed the way both the leads got to 'understand' the others' family, way of life, friends, etc. You have to like how Castor gets Travolta's girl to learn knife fighting, for example, or seeing the camaraderie of Cage's group.
Good shootouts and action, sometimes the conceits here are quite far flung, but you can live with that as an audience. I sure did, and so give this...
*** outta ****, it's quite good