6. Face/Off (1997)
The pinnacle of John Woo's Hollywood career came with
Face/Off, a movie more than happy to embrace the ridiculousness of its own concept and deliver a series of jaw-dropping action scenes, along with two utterly demented lead performances from Nicolas Cage and John Travolta. After a prologue that establishes the connection between Travolta's Sean Archer and Cage's Castor Troy, we launch headlong into the action; a spectacular shootout at an airfield that features a plane crashing through a building, a high body count and gratuitous use of slow motion. This is a John Woo movie, after all. However, that is merely an appetizer; the real fun begins when the faces come off. Of course, we can't talk about a John Woo movie without talking action. All the director's signature moments are here from the Mexican standoff to the dove obsession, and it is as expertly choreographed as always. The prison breakout and the FBI raid on Castor Troy's hideout feature some high-octane gunplay, but the final boat chase is nothing short of
spectacular. Despite some obvious stunt doubles, the climactic action scene is one of the best ever seen in a Hollywood blockbuster. The real joy of
Face/Off is watching the two leads ostensibly playing versions of each other, and having great fun doing so. Cage's version of Castor Troy is charismatic and dangerous, but in Travolta's hands he becomes a monster. Likewise, Travolta's Sean Archer is a little bland, but Cage makes him the sympathetic 'wronged hero' of the story. Despite an unnecessarily long runtime, the script is knowing without falling into self-parody, the performances great, and the direction is suitably slick. The result; one of the best action movies of the decade.