Face/Off

The premise may be ludicrous – an obsessive FBI agent (John Travolta) grafts the face of his deadly enemy (Nicolas Cage) onto his own skull for a special mission, then ends up stuck when the bad guy steals the agent's face and identity in return – but this operatic 1997 action thriller remains John Woo's most satisfying and exhilarating film since leaving Hong Kong for Hollywood. Woo leaps past the obvious irony to explore the almost schizophrenic effect it has on each character: the cop in the killer's body both attracted and repelled by the rush of violence in his new identity, the killer warming up to his new responsibilities as a father and husband, and Cage and Travolta swapping impersonations of one another's acting styles and character tics. Joan Allen is the wife surprised by her agent husband's sudden change in personality, and Alessandro Nivola, Gina Gershon, Dominique Swain and Nick Cassavetes co-star. The new edition features commentary by Woo and writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, deleted scenes and an alternate ending (with optional commentary), and the featurettes "The Light and the Dark: Making Face/Off" and "John Woo: A Life in Pictures." Also available in HD DVD format.