Nicolas-Cage Movie Reviews

I thought that this movie was excellent. All the behind the scenes were really cool and Nicolas Cage looked hot! All Nic fans have got to buy this

"Birdy" is an excellent original story of an unlikely friendship that develops into a deep emotional bond between two male friends, pure and devoid of sexual nature. While there's no female lead in this film, there are female supporting characters (including one whom briefly reveals her "significant attributes"). This film was largely overlooked by mainstream audiences because it doesn't deliver a typical entertainment formula, but, as can be told from the global spread of the reviewers here, it will greatly reward those who seek it out and can appreciate it.

Although many seem to feel the anti-war theme is a secondary part of the story, it seems the film-makers intentionally moved the story into the Vietnam era to make a more contemporarily relevant and potent statement on that level. Attributing Birdy's withdrawal to the horrors of war circa Vietnam instead of WWII certainly makes that statement more acceptable, and Birdy's desire to escape human existence completely into the world of birds seems virtually rational in this context.

As a native Philadelphian, I found it confusing trying to pinpoint which neighborhood Birdy and Al grew up in from only viewing the movie. The graffiti-less El station in the movie looks more like Frankford in Northeast Philly today than 63rd street, yet 63rd street would be much closer to the Southwest Philly area where the movie seems to have been set. The book verifies 63rd Street as the location, and also reveals enough clues to determine that Birdy and Al actually lived in Upper Darby, PA, just outside Philadelphia. (The exact location of Birdy's house could be pinpointed by determining where home-plate was situated in the local play area, as Al verifies that Birdy's yard was adjacent to left-center field, where a right-handed batter would usually place a ball hit out of play.) Even though the movie dwells on unattractive parts of the city, like junkyards and garbage dumps, it adds interest that they filmed in authentic locations in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Modine gives an utterly brilliant performance of a sensitive teen consumed in obsession with birds and flight. Cage must bring Modine back from the insane delusions that give him a sense of security after a terrifying experience in combat. "Birdy" shifts back and forth from Cage's teenage memories of Modine to his friend's silent despair in a military asylum. Quirky ending. Another great movie from "Birdy" director, Alan Parker is "The Commitments."

Character-driven film which explores the friendship between two young men, one of them relatively normal (Cage) but physically scarred by 'Nam (could have been any war)...and the other (Modine,_Full Metal Jacket_) who more and more sees the world through the beady eyes of birds, with as consequence gradual alienation from his 'fellow men and women'.

There are not many reviews here belonging to Birdy, but it was a hit at Cannes (a while ago) and is generally considered a staple of 'good-film-making'. Anyway, people who come here hoping to learn more about it are likely to be real admirers of fine cinematic art, in my opinion. Possible complaints (NOT mine) would be that Birdy is slow and goes nowhere at all and has a weak ending. To those people, go watch something in which dozens of cars explode for no apparent reason.

Anyway, after the horrors of war (this is not Platoon, however, Birdy is, how to put this nicely, not littered with dead people), Modine ends up hospitalized (I gave nothing away; this is the start of Birdy). Cage tries to pull him back into sanity, and it's through chronological flashbacks (many excellent scenes, by the way) that their friendship is shown.

Fascinating characters, brilliantly written, and great acting. As others pointed out, the soundtrack is indeed memorable.
Unfortunately for me, I realized but late why it was so important that the window should open. Stupid me. I hope you are brighter of mind.

Joel and Ethan Coen bring a wonderful comedy into the world with Raising Arizona, probably their funniest film (Fargo is funny, but in a different sense). I loved the dialogue, the insanely mad situations, and the hilarious music. You'll probably be saying, "What the?!?" about a dozen times while watching this movie, and that's what makes this movie wonderful. The whole movie's crazy! My personal favorite scene is Glen's visit to Hi's trailer home. That scene(s) is so overflowing with hilarious dialogue you'll have to rewind the tape to catch it all. The Coens really tried to cram in as many jokes as they could in this movie, and the result is a grand comedy. It looks grainy sometimes, but that's just its style.

Also contains a not-often talked about reference to Night of the Hunter, when Hi says, "Sometimes it's a hard world for little things." Did anybody else catch that? Look for the words "POE" and "OPE" in the bathroom, too. That's a tribute to Dr. Strangelove.

The first five minutes are as funny and economical as any on record. The main characters reveal themselves hilariously, while Nicholas Cage's voice-over regales as classic understatement. The dialogue remains offbeat and original,with only occasional lapses. Cage and Hunter often sound as if they've watched too much Oprah, rambling on about the family "unit", or his description of her infertility as "insides too barren for my seed to get a purchase". With this film the Coen Bros. prove they can do comedy as expertly as melodrama, as does Cage, whose mix-master hairdo and bewildered expression reflect the social rules he just can't seem to get right. Only businessman Nathan Arizona remains a sane sensible voice throughout, a departure for the usually anti-business world of film. Almost stealing the show is William Forsythe as Evelle the quarter-wit brother of half-wit John Goodman. His gap-toothed grin and eternal high spirits amidst a starkly blank expression remind me of a demented Cheshire cat. The movie as a whole amounts to a light-hearted jape at family obsessed America, where by Hunter's logic some peoples has too many kids while others ain't got enough, so it's okay to take from them that has too many. Sort of like socialist logic applied to child distribution. On a more ominous note is a Keystone Cops indictment of gun-toting America, where too many civilians and cops alike come armed and ready to shoot, except Cage who reveals a benign inner nature by refusing to load. Only the epilogue and Randy Cobb disappoint. Cobb certainly looks the part of cartoon evil, but can't project the menace to go with it. With these dim but lovable characters, it's obvious the Bros. were at sea in figuring out how to end. It's as though they're suddenly embarassed with the liberties taken with the institution of family, so only a Norman Rockwell level of smarmy apology can compensate. Too bad, because the compensation is already there in the characters of H.I. and Ed (Cage & Hunter). Nonetheless, the movie remains fresh and rollicking, thrusting the Coens to the forefront of independent filmmakers, and presenting the audience with a good number of belly laughs along the way.

The Coen Brothers followed their successful film debut of BLOOD SIMPLE with one of the most original and strange comedies ever to be made in America. From the very first shots, as career petty criminal H.I. McDonnough (Nicholas Cage) meets and woos police photographer Ed (Holly Hunter) with each arrest, the film announces that it is not going to dwell much in the world of realism. In fact, the whole film seems to dwell in its own alternative universe with its own logic. Everything works together to confirm this, from the strange camera angles, the deadpan expressions on the faces of many of the performers, the tongue-in-cheek delivery in every scene, the inventive outrageousness of every segment. There are hundreds of brilliant moments, from Leonard Smalls's tattoo ("Mother Didn't Love Me") to the convenience store clerk who interrupts his counting ("One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi . . .") only to see the bandits returning in their car to Nicholas Cage leaning out of the car to snag a package of Huggies to the strange, weird yodeling that reprises throughout the film.

The film perfectly blends the near perfect script that the Brothers created, with perfect direction, and a bevy of amazingly effective performances. Cage, Hunter, John Goodman, Trey Wilson (who died only a year or two later after this film came out), William Forsythe, Tex Cobb, and a host of supporting performers manage to generate one great scene after another. I have probably seen this film 8 or 9 times over the years, and every time I see it, it strikes me just as fun and as fresh as before.

Every fan of the Coen Brothers is going to have a different set of favorites, but this is probably my second favorite of all their films, following only THE BIG LEBOWSKI. What amazes me after repeated viewings is how the Coens managed to take a large number of elements that could very easily not have meshed, and make something magnificent out of it.

a top notch action thriller is one of the best action movies of 1996. its about Ed Harris and hes fed up with crap so he organizes a team and they hold up Alcatraz because he's going to launcha missle that'll kill a lot of people. Nicolas Cage, with Sean Connery(a man who knows Alcatraz like he knows his foes), Michael Biehn and a team of professionals go to The Rock and try to get the missles and stop Harris from killing innocent people. some stupid oneliners but otherwise its great with a car chase, missles flying, people eating toxic green balls. it has everything a action movie cooks up. theres a great team of other actors like William Forsythe, John Spencer, Vanessa Marcil, Tony Todd, Bookem Woodbine, John C. Mcginley, Steve Harris and Anthony Clark(who is gay and funny in this movie) that cook up those ingredients and give us a good ride

Never a dull moment in this is a great action flick. This may be the best of its genre in a long, long time. Jerry Bruckheimer has outdone himself. The movie opens with the two great scenes, including the well planned (and almost perfectly implemented) break in at an Army arsenal and the disarming of a terrorist bomb by Cage at work. The action does not let up until the final climactic struggles.

Great casting, with Sean Connery as a political prisoner (and former member of the British elite Special Air Service, the only man alive to break out of Alcatraz). Add Nicholas Cage as FBI agent (and self-described biochemical "super freak", who of course is grossly overmatched among these hard guys. Their foil is Ed Harris, who is great as a highly decorated military officer, disillusioned by the betrayal of his men during Desert Storm, and his cadre of soldiers. The supporting roles include David Morse, John McGinley and Greg Collins as his loyal soldiers, and John Spencer as a less than honorable FBI director They are all joined at Alcatraz prison, taken over by Harris and his men. They hold a few hostages (irrelevant to the story), along with rockets filled with deadly poison gas. Unless the government pays the big bucks, they will unleash their deadly toxins. Only a sixty year old Connery can get them onto the Rock, with the support of a group of Navy Seals and fighter planes to save the day.

Of course, they do.

Not a dull moment in this movie.

Only Bad Boys comes close to this action extravaganza about a group of marines who take hostages on Alcatraz and threaten the San Francisco Bay Area with poison gas rockets. Sean Connery, Nick Cage and Ed Harris are in fine form supported by a great ensemble of actors, including the always excellent David Morse. This is Michael Bay's best. It has a good story (never mind some of the plot holes this is a movie!), tons of action and great shots that make it look very slick.

The DVD presented by those generous folks at Criterion is pretty good. The video transfer is exceptionally good with only a few artefacts here and there. The sound comes in DTS and Dolby Digital and both are loud and make full use of the surrounds. The score by Hans Zimmer just roars into action.

The special features are extensive with a commentary and several interesting documentaries. It is a pretty extensive (not more so than Armageddon) 2 disc set with a very interesting commentary on disc 1. The Hollywood Gunplay feature is one of the more interesting ones that deserve a mention

This movie with a running time over 2 hours goes by at a blistering pace. I highly recommend the Criterion Collection set of The Rock.

a top notch action thriller is one of the best action movies of 1996. its about Ed Harris and hes fed up with crap so he organizes a team and they hold up Alcatraz because he's going to launcha missle that'll kill a lot of people. Nicolas Cage, with Sean Connery(a man who knows Alcatraz like he knows his foes), Michael Biehn and a team of professionals go to The Rock and try to get the missles and stop Harris from killing innocent people. some stupid oneliners but otherwise its great with a car chase, missles flying, people eating toxic green balls. it has everything a action movie cooks up. theres a great team of other actors like William Forsythe, John Spencer, Vanessa Marcil, Tony Todd, Bookem Woodbine, John C. Mcginley, Steve Harris and Anthony Clark(who is gay and funny in this movie) that cook up those ingredients and give us a good ride

Never a dull moment in this is a great action flick. This may be the best of its genre in a long, long time. Jerry Bruckheimer has outdone himself. The movie opens with the two great scenes, including the well planned (and almost perfectly implemented) break in at an Army arsenal and the disarming of a terrorist bomb by Cage at work. The action does not let up until the final climactic struggles.

Great casting, with Sean Connery as a political prisoner (and former member of the British elite Special Air Service, the only man alive to break out of Alcatraz). Add Nicholas Cage as FBI agent (and self-described biochemical "super freak", who of course is grossly overmatched among these hard guys. Their foil is Ed Harris, who is great as a highly decorated military officer, disillusioned by the betrayal of his men during Desert Storm, and his cadre of soldiers. The supporting roles include David Morse, John McGinley and Greg Collins as his loyal soldiers, and John Spencer as a less than honorable FBI director They are all joined at Alcatraz prison, taken over by Harris and his men. They hold a few hostages (irrelevant to the story), along with rockets filled with deadly poison gas. Unless the government pays the big bucks, they will unleash their deadly toxins. Only a sixty year old Connery can get them onto the Rock, with the support of a group of Navy Seals and fighter planes to save the day.

Of course, they do.

Not a dull moment in this movie.

Only Bad Boys comes close to this action extravaganza about a group of marines who take hostages on Alcatraz and threaten the San Francisco Bay Area with poison gas rockets. Sean Connery, Nick Cage and Ed Harris are in fine form supported by a great ensemble of actors, including the always excellent David Morse. This is Michael Bay's best. It has a good story (never mind some of the plot holes this is a movie!), tons of action and great shots that make it look very slick.

The DVD presented by those generous folks at Criterion is pretty good. The video transfer is exceptionally good with only a few artefacts here and there. The sound comes in DTS and Dolby Digital and both are loud and make full use of the surrounds. The score by Hans Zimmer just roars into action.

The special features are extensive with a commentary and several interesting documentaries. It is a pretty extensive (not more so than Armageddon) 2 disc set with a very interesting commentary on disc 1. The Hollywood Gunplay feature is one of the more interesting ones that deserve a mention

This movie with a running time over 2 hours goes by at a blistering pace. I highly recommend the Criterion Collection set of The Rock.

First let me get this off my chest. On other reviews for this movie, several people have listed Dune as a good David Lynch Movie.... David Lynch himself has implied that it was a mistake to make Dune at all. (The quote was actually: "I'd rather not talk about it" on the Actor's Studio.) Dune was a great book, Lynch is a great director, but the screenplay for Dune was an abject mess (The sets, costumes and casting were excellent though.) The point of all that is this: anyone who gave Wild At Heart a bad review, but liked Dune should be ignored on general principles... If you liked Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive or Eraserhead; you will most likely enjoy Wild At Heart. It's the closest to a comedy that he has made, although the blackest kind of comedy. Lynch's films are like abstract paintings, so if you like movies you actually have to decipher and think about for days afterwards, then this is for you. If you liked Dune, stick to Jerry Bruckheimer productions.

Wild at heart is one of David Lynchs absolutely greatest works, a masterpiece of surrealism and right on target scenes. Nicholas Cage as "Sailor" makes a character colorful as seldom seen on a screen, it's definitely one of mr Cages absolutely best actings ever. This fabulous movie is one of the best in it's genre. The story never seems to wanna let go on you and you never want to leave it either. This is a film that could've been 5 hrs in length and still I would've been stucked in my chair smiling.

If "Sorority Boys" can get a DVD release, then why not David Lynch's Palm D'Or-winning psychedelic opus? Does the studio feel we Americans are too imbecilic to grasp pop culture skewered like kabobs? That Elvis cannot be formidably distilled by Nic Cage, that the carnality of Laura Dern will make us question the MPAA? Or is that Bobby Peru is just too damn good with a shotgun? Regardless of whatever quasi-corporate red tape binds its leaden rocks, "Wild at Heart" is a tasty cinematic Warhol(...)the whole family can enjoy, destined for video, cherry ripe for distribution. Pour me a double, Bobby. "'Cause you don't hop like a bunny." Give 'ol Nemo a run for his money. The kids are all right.

I remember watching this in the cinema in November 1997 with 698 other people (a full house) and only me and my pal hated it. Which is weird because I expected it to be great. The original script for the film had it set in the future but Woo insisted it be written in present day to not distract the audience. But the only thing that distracted me was how dull the film was.

Since coming to Hollywood John Woo has done little to impress. He mad a very strong debut with Hard Target but the film was cut to shreds and the impact severely muted. Broken Arrow was thoroughly unexciting and Face/Off is not much better.

The bulk of the blame lies not with Woo but with Travolta. As Sean Archer he's fine. But as soon as he becomes Castor Troy he turns the camp all the way up to 11. Face/Off eventually becomes an unashamed pantomime. Cage, as both characters, is very good. But Travolta takes Troy to the same place he took Vic Deakins in Broken Arrow. It's like he assumes that no matter what he does, it's automatically cool because IT'S A JOHN WOO FILM. Sorry, but that logic doesn't work out in real life.

The plot, while being crafty, doesn't really do much. Exactly what does Troy plan after becoming Archer? To look like his enemy for the rest of his life? If not it was a bad idea burning down the Plastic Surgery Joint then. Some interesting imagery is used and the subtext gives the movie a sharper edge despite its superficial appearance. All the 'gun ballet' stuff does is glamorise guns. And that's becoming real old hat.

Weird tho, when you think that this film is written by the folks that gave us The Mask and Death Wish V: The Face of Death. And John Woo would also dabble in face swapping later on with Mission: Impossible 2.

The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. The only extra is a trailer.

One of the most preposterous story concepts in history results in one of the best action films of the past 20 years: What would happen if a terrorist and the agent hunting him surgically switch faces? How can you even make that movie? John Woo (Mission Impossible 2) takes the reigns of the clever screenplay and has a blast. This film has way-cool Woo action and a couple over-the-top performances as well as a wild screenplay filled with twists that always manage to be one-step ahead.

Director Woo fills the screen with slow motion gun battles and even slower motion character reveals. His action is usually immune to things like logic, physics and gravity but that never gets in the way. If you thought it was in the way, a stray bullet'd probably fly off the screen and hit you. Pretentious elements adorn the screen as much as gunfire. From a tremendous battle of good vs. evil to the sound of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' to white doves filling a church during a shootout. He puts a lot of respect toward the films top performances. In doing so, he sorts out the potentially confusing screenplay leaving only the most inattentive behind.

John Travolta has the responsibility of setting up the character of covert agent Sean Archer. Nicholas Cage, the terrorist Castor Troy. Both have to reveal not only the character but also their identifiable quirks, as they will quickly switch roles. Both actors appear to be having a blast at each other's expense. Closing out the confusing triangle is Joan Allen as Archer's brilliant wife. She is willing to allow the story to take its course, only getting involved when she is forced.

The screenplay nicely increases the stakes after the face Switch when both men use each others power to escalate their own needs. Woo's presentation of the final stand-off in the church is sure to bring a smile to your face with it's clever reveals. This is the stuff that elevates the story above most action fodder.

FACE-OFF is a great film with a lot to offer, especially to your sub-woofer. The audio transfer carries it well but the video transfer could use a remaster. There are no special features other than the trailer. Enjoy FACE-OFF.

This blasts Die Hard right out of a building and sends it flying down 33 stories. It jump kicks The Matrix and breaks its back on a granite wall. It grabs Cliffhanger by the throat and throws it onto a pile of jagged rocks. Yes, this movie indeed kicks major buttocks. It's a story about an F.B.I. agent and a terrorist who change identities and get a first hand glimpse at how the other lives his own lifestyle. This used to be my favorite flick for about two years until I just watched it so much that I just played it out completely. But it still remains my favorite action film of all time. Nicolas Cage steals each scene and John Travolta is fun to watch playing the bad guy again. This movie is very quotable ("I could eat a peach for hours") and offers some of the most stylish and intense action scenes offered on the silver screen. One of the big summer hits of 1997, there won't be another shoot-em-up as great as this one to come along in a while.

I remember watching this in the cinema in November 1997 with 698 other people (a full house) and only me and my pal hated it. Which is weird because I expected it to be great. The original script for the film had it set in the future but Woo insisted it be written in present day to not distract the audience. But the only thing that distracted me was how dull the film was.

Since coming to Hollywood John Woo has done little to impress. He mad a very strong debut with Hard Target but the film was cut to shreds and the impact severely muted. Broken Arrow was thoroughly unexciting and Face/Off is not much better.

The bulk of the blame lies not with Woo but with Travolta. As Sean Archer he's fine. But as soon as he becomes Castor Troy he turns the camp all the way up to 11. Face/Off eventually becomes an unashamed pantomime. Cage, as both characters, is very good. But Travolta takes Troy to the same place he took Vic Deakins in Broken Arrow. It's like he assumes that no matter what he does, it's automatically cool because IT'S A JOHN WOO FILM. Sorry, but that logic doesn't work out in real life.

The plot, while being crafty, doesn't really do much. Exactly what does Troy plan after becoming Archer? To look like his enemy for the rest of his life? If not it was a bad idea burning down the Plastic Surgery Joint then. Some interesting imagery is used and the subtext gives the movie a sharper edge despite its superficial appearance. All the 'gun ballet' stuff does is glamorise guns. And that's becoming real old hat.

Weird tho, when you think that this film is written by the folks that gave us The Mask and Death Wish V: The Face of Death. And John Woo would also dabble in face swapping later on with Mission: Impossible 2.

The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. The only extra is a trailer.

One of the most preposterous story concepts in history results in one of the best action films of the past 20 years: What would happen if a terrorist and the agent hunting him surgically switch faces? How can you even make that movie? John Woo (Mission Impossible 2) takes the reigns of the clever screenplay and has a blast. This film has way-cool Woo action and a couple over-the-top performances as well as a wild screenplay filled with twists that always manage to be one-step ahead.

Director Woo fills the screen with slow motion gun battles and even slower motion character reveals. His action is usually immune to things like logic, physics and gravity but that never gets in the way. If you thought it was in the way, a stray bullet'd probably fly off the screen and hit you. Pretentious elements adorn the screen as much as gunfire. From a tremendous battle of good vs. evil to the sound of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' to white doves filling a church during a shootout. He puts a lot of respect toward the films top performances. In doing so, he sorts out the potentially confusing screenplay leaving only the most inattentive behind.

John Travolta has the responsibility of setting up the character of covert agent Sean Archer. Nicholas Cage, the terrorist Castor Troy. Both have to reveal not only the character but also their identifiable quirks, as they will quickly switch roles. Both actors appear to be having a blast at each other's expense. Closing out the confusing triangle is Joan Allen as Archer's brilliant wife. She is willing to allow the story to take its course, only getting involved when she is forced.

The screenplay nicely increases the stakes after the face Switch when both men use each others power to escalate their own needs. Woo's presentation of the final stand-off in the church is sure to bring a smile to your face with it's clever reveals. This is the stuff that elevates the story above most action fodder.

FACE-OFF is a great film with a lot to offer, especially to your sub-woofer. The audio transfer carries it well but the video transfer could use a remaster. There are no special features other than the trailer. Enjoy FACE-OFF.

This blasts Die Hard right out of a building and sends it flying down 33 stories. It jump kicks The Matrix and breaks its back on a granite wall. It grabs Cliffhanger by the throat and throws it onto a pile of jagged rocks. Yes, this movie indeed kicks major buttocks. It's a story about an F.B.I. agent and a terrorist who change identities and get a first hand glimpse at how the other lives his own lifestyle. This used to be my favorite flick for about two years until I just watched it so much that I just played it out completely. But it still remains my favorite action film of all time. Nicolas Cage steals each scene and John Travolta is fun to watch playing the bad guy again. This movie is very quotable ("I could eat a peach for hours") and offers some of the most stylish and intense action scenes offered on the silver screen. One of the big summer hits of 1997, there won't be another shoot-em-up as great as this one to come along in a while.

I remember watching this in the cinema in November 1997 with 698 other people (a full house) and only me and my pal hated it. Which is weird because I expected it to be great. The original script for the film had it set in the future but Woo insisted it be written in present day to not distract the audience. But the only thing that distracted me was how dull the film was.

Since coming to Hollywood John Woo has done little to impress. He mad a very strong debut with Hard Target but the film was cut to shreds and the impact severely muted. Broken Arrow was thoroughly unexciting and Face/Off is not much better.

The bulk of the blame lies not with Woo but with Travolta. As Sean Archer he's fine. But as soon as he becomes Castor Troy he turns the camp all the way up to 11. Face/Off eventually becomes an unashamed pantomime. Cage, as both characters, is very good. But Travolta takes Troy to the same place he took Vic Deakins in Broken Arrow. It's like he assumes that no matter what he does, it's automatically cool because IT'S A JOHN WOO FILM. Sorry, but that logic doesn't work out in real life.

The plot, while being crafty, doesn't really do much. Exactly what does Troy plan after becoming Archer? To look like his enemy for the rest of his life? If not it was a bad idea burning down the Plastic Surgery Joint then. Some interesting imagery is used and the subtext gives the movie a sharper edge despite its superficial appearance. All the 'gun ballet' stuff does is glamorise guns. And that's becoming real old hat.

Weird tho, when you think that this film is written by the folks that gave us The Mask and Death Wish V: The Face of Death. And John Woo would also dabble in face swapping later on with Mission: Impossible 2.

The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. The only extra is a trailer.

One of the most preposterous story concepts in history results in one of the best action films of the past 20 years: What would happen if a terrorist and the agent hunting him surgically switch faces? How can you even make that movie? John Woo (Mission Impossible 2) takes the reigns of the clever screenplay and has a blast. This film has way-cool Woo action and a couple over-the-top performances as well as a wild screenplay filled with twists that always manage to be one-step ahead.

Director Woo fills the screen with slow motion gun battles and even slower motion character reveals. His action is usually immune to things like logic, physics and gravity but that never gets in the way. If you thought it was in the way, a stray bullet'd probably fly off the screen and hit you. Pretentious elements adorn the screen as much as gunfire. From a tremendous battle of good vs. evil to the sound of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' to white doves filling a church during a shootout. He puts a lot of respect toward the films top performances. In doing so, he sorts out the potentially confusing screenplay leaving only the most inattentive behind.

John Travolta has the responsibility of setting up the character of covert agent Sean Archer. Nicholas Cage, the terrorist Castor Troy. Both have to reveal not only the character but also their identifiable quirks, as they will quickly switch roles. Both actors appear to be having a blast at each other's expense. Closing out the confusing triangle is Joan Allen as Archer's brilliant wife. She is willing to allow the story to take its course, only getting involved when she is forced.

The screenplay nicely increases the stakes after the face Switch when both men use each others power to escalate their own needs. Woo's presentation of the final stand-off in the church is sure to bring a smile to your face with it's clever reveals. This is the stuff that elevates the story above most action fodder.

FACE-OFF is a great film with a lot to offer, especially to your sub-woofer. The audio transfer carries it well but the video transfer could use a remaster. There are no special features other than the trailer. Enjoy FACE-OFF.

This blasts Die Hard right out of a building and sends it flying down 33 stories. It jump kicks The Matrix and breaks its back on a granite wall. It grabs Cliffhanger by the throat and throws it onto a pile of jagged rocks. Yes, this movie indeed kicks major buttocks. It's a story about an F.B.I. agent and a terrorist who change identities and get a first hand glimpse at how the other lives his own lifestyle. This used to be my favorite flick for about two years until I just watched it so much that I just played it out completely. But it still remains my favorite action film of all time. Nicolas Cage steals each scene and John Travolta is fun to watch playing the bad guy again. This movie is very quotable ("I could eat a peach for hours") and offers some of the most stylish and intense action scenes offered on the silver screen. One of the big summer hits of 1997, there won't be another shoot-em-up as great as this one to come along in a while.

I am in complete agreement with the viewer from MN as to the unfortunate full screen format this DVD version was produced in. What a blunder! What a loss of visual information so important to the script! I have had to make a VHS recording off of TCM when THEY presented the movie in its' Letterbox format. I hope someone smartens-up and rereleases Moonstruck on DVD that delivers all the great cinematography.

Like other reviewers, I'm baffled as to why this is not in letterbox. I can live without super-duper extras, but I have no reason to upgrade from my VHS until a widescreen version is published. The rating is reflective of my dislike of the fullscreen formatting. The movie itself is one of the great romantic comedies-a love letter to love itself, and NYC.

wonderful movie. if you can stand the chopped format, get it. If you want letterbox, tape it (December 2003) from TCM. Or look for the rumored widescreen DVD version. (Why they ever made a chopped version for DVD, I'll never understand...)