7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
To foil a terrorist plot, an FBI agent undergoes facial transplant surgery to assume the identity of the terrorist, but the criminal wakes up and seeks revenge.
Starring: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola, Gina GershonThriller | 100% |
Action | 88% |
Crime | 72% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-ES 6.1 (24-bit, 1509 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Yes, his face...off. The eyes, nose, skin, it’s coming off.
The world of high technology and unbelievable medical and scientific advances meets the blood
and guts action movie genre in Face/Off, easily director John Woo's (Broken Arrow)
biggest Hollywood smash hit. The legendary Hong Kong director, whose greatest Asian hits
include The Killer and Hard Boiled, teams up with 90s icons Nicolas Cage (Next) and John
Travolta (Ladder
49) for a celebration of violence. This is a film that takes rough-and-tumble action and
turns
it into a work of art in trademark Woo style, combining that with an interesting concept that
while completely implausible makes for a fascinating character study, even if much of the plot is
incredibly contrived and far-fetched. Still, Face/Off is a blast, if not a bit disturbing at
times,
an action film that is far slicker than your standard-fare shoot-em-up-picture.
John Travolta explains the advantages of his Sig P226 to Nicolas Cage.
Face/Off finally arrives on Blu-ray high definition, its 1080p, 2.35:1 transfer a solid one. This transfer is noticeably grain-free, raising the question as to just how much noise reduction was applied to this title. While the image is a good one overall, there are times where the transfer suffers from an odd appearance, most notably on several close-up shots of the actors. A scene where Pollux and Castor Troy (who is really Archer) are discussing the location of the bomb in prison is notably off, both actors looking like wax statues with very little detail on their faces. Either that, or they are both caked in make-up in that shot. The transfer also exhibits very minor but continuous speckles of dirt on the print itself. Overall, however, many Blu-ray fans should be pleased with the look of this movie. Clarity and resolution are solid and detail is fairly high. Some close-up shots do reveal some fine detail; we can see every grain of Archer's five o'clock shadow and almost too clearly see the hairs on his fingers in one particular close-up of his hand. Black levels are excellent, the image never seeming too bright or gray in black spaces. Colors are neither dull nor overly bright. In other words, color reproduction is spot-on. The movie never really goes for a special color scheme, pushing particular hues more so than others or employing a more "artsy" look, except for in the prison sequences where everything is a shade of blue, gray, or green. The colors of a U.S. Flag seen draped on a coffin near the end of the film, for example, look stunningly perfect, the flag never having looked so good in high-definition. It's not often that this image loses its sharp edge and becomes soft, but it does on occasion, notably in chapter 20 when Troy (as Archer) disarms the bomb. The film's climax, which takes place in speedboats on the water, looks great -- bright, vibrant, and clear. This is definitely a solid high definition viewing experience. It won't win transfer of the year (or last year, as the case may be), but it's definitely nothing to sneeze at, either.
Undeniably the strongest aspect of this disc is the amazing lossy sound mixes it employs. Both a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and a DTS 6.1 soundtrack are included, and for the purpose of this review I selected the DTS mix. To call this one loud is an understatement. It's deafening; the track just keeps getting louder and louder, and only minutes in I was forced to turn the volume down from reference level. Nevertheless, the track proves itself to be one of, if not the most active and dynamic I've heard, lossless or not, and it is an absolute blast to listen to. The dream-like opening sequence of the movie puts every speaker to work, including the subwoofer. Sound sweeps the room along with the merry-go-round and deep bass permeates several scenes. Then, a gunshot rings out, and the sound is so effective you can almost feel the impact of the bullet passing through you and your media room as it flies from the back channels to the front. The film's music is room-filling and exciting. "Loud" doesn't always equate to "good," and it did seem that some of the finer details of the mix could have been brought out just a bit better with a high-def track. Still, bass is probably as powerful as anything I've heard before. A scene where an airplane crashes through a hangar early in the movie felt as if it might bring my house crumbling down too, and that was after I had turned down the volume. This isn't the only instance of the bass going absolutely berserk. It's like that in many of the action sequences, truly the harshest workout my subwoofer has ever been through, and that includes what it endured during films like Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan. Surround channels are put to great use as well. When Troy (really Archer) arrives in prison, there is some fantastic echoing as the prison guard tells him what to expect. The rear channels definitely handle the reverberations well, adding a great sense of realism to the mix. In many actions scenes, gunshots fill the rear channels as do the impact of the rounds into surfaces and humans. Shots are loud and precise, and we truly feel immersed in each and every firefight. If you are just looking for a loud and crazy soundtrack, this is definitely it, and listening to it will probably be the most fun you'll have with a lossy track to date. As far as "standard definition soundtracks go, this is absolutely the best I've heard, but it still loses a point for not being offered in high definition on a high definition format disc.
Face/Off is transplanted to Blu-ray as a solid special edition. Two commentary tracks
highlight the proceedings, the first featuring director John Woo and writers Mike Werb and
Michael Colleary. This track was recorded for the 10th anniversary of the film. Woo starts off the
track recounting the changes the story underwent, morphing from a sci-fi project to a human
drama film replete with action while the writers discuss Woo's influence on making sure the
emotion of the film remained front-and-center, even through all of the intense action sequences.
Woo also discusses his freedom to make this movie as he wanted, not being at odds with his
colleagues as he was in other projects. There is quite a bit in this track, enough to make it
worthwhile, although much of the track focuses on the polishing of the script and creating just
the right mood for the movie, making sure the human drama played as just as important, if not
more so, than the action. The second track features the same participants minus Woo, and the
track offers little of value to learn that wasn't included in the first one. The highlight
of the track is the writers discussing Woo's disappointment with the Hollywood system and
eschewing the label he's received as a director only capable of filming intense action. In fact, Woo
prefers films such as Face/Off where he can incorporate the action into a film grounded
in high drama and human emotion. This track is definitely for hardcore Face/Off fans
only.
Seven deleted scenes (1080p, 8:26) with optional commentary by co-writers Werb and Colleary
are next. The Light and the Dark: Making 'Face/Off' is a five-part documentary. The first
part, Science Fiction/Human Emotion (1080p, 9:44) looks at the origins of the idea, the
filmmakers wanting to create a clever action movie and write a villain just as complex and
interesting as the hero. There is also an interesting discussion about the script's transfer from
Warner Brothers to Paramount, and the reluctance of John Woo to helm such an ambitious
Science Fiction project, and the initial attachment of director Rob Cohen to the project.
Cast/Characters (1080p, 17:22) looks at the casting of the leads. The writers originally
wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone as the leads (two actors I've always
wanted to see together on-screen), but Travolta and Cage were ultimately chosen. The feature
focuses on the work of both actors as they slipped into their respective roles, portraying not only
their characters but one another. Woo/Hollywood (1080p, 21:34) looks at the work and
style of director John Woo. Practical/Visual Effects (1080p, 9:41) takes a basic look at
the film's special effects. Wrapping up the documentary is Future/Past (1080p, 5:56), a
short feature that focuses on John Woo's take on the film's finale. John Woo: A Life in
Pictures (1080p, 26:03) is next, a look at the director's life and career in his own words.
Finally, the theatrical trailer for Face/Off (1080p, 2:07) concludes a solid supplemental
package.
Face/Off offers audiences all the action they can handle, and then some. The movie works as straight action, but John Woo's effort to humanize the film didn't completely work. While I found the subject material and concept highly fascinating, it nevertheless seemed to me to simply be a means to an end, just another plot to frame around an action extravaganza. I enjoyed the movie nevertheless, Cage and Travolta are both excellent in their roles and Woo doing what he does best, creating some of the most memorable action sequences ever seen in either his illustrious career or in Hollywood history. This Blu-ray edition of Face/Off is a good one. The video quality isn't exceptional, but very good nevertheless. The audio is dynamic and awesome, only marred by the fact that there is no high definition lossless or uncompressed version available. The disc also offers a rather strong supplemental package. Recommended.
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