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Face/Off: Special Collector’s Edition
R1 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak/Shane Roberts (25th October 2007). |
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The Film
 I’ll start by saying that I really love this film. I’ve been a fan of director John Woo since “The Killer” (1989) blew my mind when I first saw it back in the day. He’s one of the best action directors ever and this is by far his best American made film…but it’s crazier than a sack of monkeys! If you’ve never seen or heard of “Face/Off”, the following may seem a little far fetched. Obsessed FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) still grieving the death of his son by a sniper’s bullet that was meant for him finally catches up to the man responsible, bat s**t crazy terrorist Caster Troy (Nic Cage) who also happens to have hidden a bomb that is set to kill the entire population of LA. But before it can be located Troy ends up in a permanent coma after his capture and the only person who knows the bomb’s location is his paranoid brother Pollux (Alessandro Nivola) who will only talk to Castor. Archer takes the most obvious course of action…he has his face swapped with Troy’s!! (No, not has his features altered to resemble Troy’s, he actually has his face removed and swapped). What could possibly go wrong? After Troy wakes up (permanent’s not what it used to be) with vengeance on his mind the only spare face the doctor has handy belongs to…guess who? That’s right Sean. Then it all goes wrong. Now the premise could have been a bit more plausible if the film makers had done one or both of these two things; 1) kept the original script’s futuristic setting and thereby making the possibility of the surgery believable (as well as the crazy magnetic prison), and/or 2) (and here’s a crazy idea) cast two actors that actually resemble each other in either looks or build. But hey, the fact that it’s so over the top in every respect from the action to the performances to the stylized and highly manipulative score, this is where most of the enjoyment comes from. With likeable characters and performances Woo keeps it from sliding from inspired to irritating (like “Crank” (2006) for example).
Video
Presented in the film original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1 this anamorphic transfer is a new re-mastered image for this release, while it’s a considerable improvement over the older release the image still has some flaws. To begin with there are still specks and dirt that pop up, especially in some of the action scenes and also in the opening of the film. While the majority of the image is nice and sharp some shots still appear a bit soft. Colors are fine as are skin tones, black levels are bold although grain can also bee seen but isn’t too much of a problem. Overall it’s a good transfer but could have been a lot better.
Audio
Three audio tracks are included in English DTS-ES 6.1 (discrete), English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX as well as a French Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS-ES track and where the image doesn’t totally satisfy the track certainly does and pumps out an aggressive soundtrack making excellent use of the sound space. From clear and distortion free dialogue to ambient sound to action effects such as bullet hits and explosions everything is over-the-top and the sound matches that action perfectly. Additionally the film’s score also helps create an immersive sense. As far as DTS-ES tracks go this is a winner. Optional subtitles are included in English, French and Spanish.
Extras
Paramount has released this film as a 2-disc ‘Special Edition’ with a plethora of features that include two audio commentaries, deleted scenes, a 5-part documentary, a featurette and the film’s theatrical trailer. Below is a closer look at these extras broken down per disc. DISC ONE: First up we’ve got the first feature-length audio commentary with the film’s director John Woo and writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary. The track covers Woo’s reaction to the original script in 1993 and how it was originally a sci-fi futuristic film, Woo passed on the project mainly because he wasn’t confident enough to work on a special effects movie. After “Broken Arrow” (1996) had finished he was re-approached this time the setting had changed and the film was set in modern day focusing on the human drama set amid an action thriller which interested him and finally got him onboard. Woo talks about giving the actor’s freedom to create the characters and be involved in the process and comments on working with the cast which he had a great time doing. The writers comment on the motivation to make the film and in creating something where the bad guy is as interesting as the good guy, on setting up the difference between the two early on and other script issues such as the various changes that occurred over the years and over the 35 drafts that were written among other production issues such as shooting action sequences, the use of slow motion and choreographed action, etc. The second feature-length audio commentary is with the film’s screenwriters Mike Werb and Michael Colleary. They take us on in-depth examination of the film, it’s story, narrative structure, plot points and set-ups as well as through the development process and covering the various changed that were made. They also talks about the character motivations and dealing with interesting and complex characters as well as what Woo brought to the production. There’s some repetition here but one interesting aspect of this track is their genuine surprise that the studio and everyone involved in the film took it seriously for such an out-there concept. Next up are a collection of 7 deleted scenes that include optional audio commentary by the film’s director John Woo and writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, in the track they comment on the scenes and on why the were cut out of the film. These scenes can be viewed individually or with a ‘play all’ function and include: - “Castor kills the janitor” which runs for 36 seconds, after Castor sets the bomb he kills the Janitor who questions why he’s there. - “Archer weeps” runs for 1 minute 7 seconds, Sean remembers his son and weeps at the loss. - “Childhood lessons” runs for 1 minute 4 seconds, Castor and Pollux remember childhood lesson while they’re in prison. - “Hideaway shootout” runs for 2 minutes 1 seconds and is an extended version of the shootout with some additional shots. - "Will dad be dad again?" runs for 10 seconds, Jamie asks her mom if Dad will be the same again after the final fight scene. - “Alternate Ending” runs for 1 minute 10 seconds, Sean sees Castor’s face in the mirror. Rounding out the extras on this disc are a series of bonus trailers for: - "Shooter" which runs for 2 minutes 30 seconds. - "Zodiac" which runs for 2 minutes 30 seconds. - "Next" which runs for 2 minutes 28 seconds. DISC TWO: The major extra on this disc is the "The Light and the Dark: Making Face/Off" a 5-part documentary that has a total runtime of 64 minutes 1 second and includes: - “Science Fiction / Human Emotion” in this clip we get a look the creation of the script and wanting to make something different as we trace the production’s history originally set up at Warner Brothers then being sold to Paramount and also getting the involvement of Woo. Looks at the process of getting green lit as the filmmaker’s approach the project from a human drama point of view set amid an action thriller style movie. - “Cast / Characters” focuses on the casting of the film and on the filmmaker’s vision for the leads. Also looks at what Travolta and Cage brought to the production and how the film appealed to them as actors getting to play each other, also looks at some of the support cast and the guns as characters. - “Woo / Hollywood” takes a closer look at the level of action that Woo brings to the table and his style including some of his trademarks that he adds to the film whether slow-motion gun-play, camera moves or his white doves/pigeons. The cast and crew also talks about how great he is at designing the movie and on shooting the scenes, stunts, numerous complicated shots, the idea behind the prison and the loft shootout as well. - “Practical / Visual Effects” takes a look at the effects of which were mainly practical in terms of stunts for the boat sequence and how the various element came together for that scene as well as looking at the face swap effects and life-like dummies made for the operation scene. - “Future / Past” Woo comments on the film’s ending and how it originally tested as the cast and crew talks about the emotional impact of the film and on their journey making it. Following that is "John Woo: A Life In Pictures" a featurette that runs for 26 minutes 6 seconds and takes a look at Woo’s background in China and Hong Kong, getting a chance for an education and his initial involvement in the Hong Kong film industry leading up to being a director and making the movie to the United States and making films in Hollywood. It’s a rundown of his career and for fans is an interesting clip to check out. Finally the disc also include the film’s original theatrical trailer that runs for 2 minutes 8 seconds.
Packaging
This 2-disc set is packaged in an amaray case that’s housed in a plastic slip-cover.
Overall
So, if you fancy a movie featuring Woo’s trademark slow motion gunfights (including one scored with ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’) complete with trademark doves flying around, a futuristic prison on an oil rig that makes for some of the film’s most interesting scenes, Cage groping a teenage girl while dressed as a priest and seemingly channeling Bela Lugosi, plus he and Travolta just having a ball impersonating each other, then “Face/Off” will not disappoint. The film has been reviewed by Shane Roberts, The technical specs and extras have been reviewed by Noor Razzak.
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