Face/Off (1997)

Face/Off is a high‑octane action thriller about obsession, identity and revenge. When grief‑stricken FBI agent Sean Archer learns that terrorist mastermind Castor Troy has hidden a biological bomb in Los Angeles, Archer volunteers for an experimental facial transplant to assume Troy’s appearance and extract the bomb’s location from Troy’s imprisoned brother. That undercover gambit goes horribly wrong when Troy awakens, takes Archer’s face and identity, and uses them to wreck Archer’s life. Watching the film, you’ll get a relentless blend of pulse‑pounding set pieces and intimate psychological warfare: gunfights, chases and explosions sit alongside tense interrogations, identity deception, and wrenching personal stakes. The central conceit — two men literally wearing each other’s faces — fuels surprising moral twists and a cat‑and‑mouse game where appearances and motives are never what they seem. Expect slick, showy action choreography, emotional moments about loss and vengeance, and a mounting sense of dread as both men try to destroy each other’s lives. The result is a propulsive, often brutal ride that’s as much about the cost of obsession as it is about spectacle.

Actors: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen

Director: John Woo

Runtime: 138 min

Genres: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi

6.1 /10 82 /100 7.3 /10 7.2 /10