DVD review (region 1)
Directed by John Woo
Starring John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola
Release date Out now

To prevent the devastation of Los Angeles, FBI agent Sean Archer has to literally swap places (and faces) with his arch-enemy, Castor Troy…

Although it was definitely science fiction when it first came out a decade ago, Face/Off’s supposedly implausible science is now a reality, with dog-savaged hospital patients now receiving other people’s faces – something that the makers of this film seem quite surprised by in the new documentaries that accompany this re-release.

In some ways, it’s a typical John Woo action movie, with slow-motion gun fights, balletic movement and small white birds appearing at apparently inappropriate moments. However unlike either Broken Arrow or Mission: Impossible 2, there’s a heart to this story that is emphasised through Joan Allen’s character as Eve Archer. Her husband (John Travolta at the start and finish of the film, but Nicolas Cage for the majority) is an obsessed man who has lost sight of exactly why he wants to capture Castor Troy (Travolta for the bulk of the movie), but the regular return to scenes at his home keep the film grounded.

The deleted scenes don’t add a lot, except for the original ending which turns the entire film on its head – it seems hardly surprising that the Powers That Be didn’t want to use it.

The second disc’s documentary includes many of the same stories that appear in the commentaries, particularly about the de-sci-fi-ing of the film during pre-production, but the tribute to Woo is a fascinating insight into the filmmaker. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 8/10
A great action movie with some great added extras.