John Woo does John Woo.
Face/Off has got all the John Woo trademarks: trenchcoats, smooth slo-mo, jerky slo-mo, Mexican standoffs (including a doozy three-way at the end), pigeons (recall Hard Boiled?). Plus this premise is ripe for exploration. And we get some genuine character development as opposed to the pure comic bookness of Con Air. But there are some serious plot holes. Big time.
And the usual action movie cliches that we are rapidly becomed inured to: everything HAS to explode when touched. (I like how the junk in the hangar goes kerblooey BEFORE the plane plowing into the hangar even brushes it) and my real fave: automatic weapons are firing at a rate to supply ammo for a third world despot; chains, fence railing and grates have ricochets lighting them up, yet the guy "hiding" behind the 3-inch thick railing is A-OK. I've fired M-16s and M-60s. You can't help to hit what you're aiming at. But that would bring the story to a grinding halt, so on with the show.
One plot hole was outrageous. How to handle it? Ignore it and go on to the next action sequence. And believe you me, the action sequences kick total ass. And John Woo delivers. The sheer balletic frenzy that he brings to action sequences is something to behold. The man has no peer. During the boat sequence at the end, two stunt men do something so dangerous I don't even believe that they agreed to do it. Betcha big bux it was a botched stunt, but hey, it's on film so they went with it cuz it looks great anyway.
Watching Cage and Travolta trade personas was cool tho. Both men got to exercise their considerable acting abilities.
I just expected more from the movie. The plain-as-day plot holes knocked it down a couple of pegs. Movie is fine Woo, but the best is yet to come from his American movie directing career.
Movie's suitability for: