Face/Off


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Details At A Glance

General
Extras
Category Action Theatrical Trailer(s) None
Rating Other Trailer(s) None
Year Released 1997 Commentary Tracks None
Running Time
133 minutes
(not 139 per case)
Other Extras None
RSDL/Flipper Flipper (71:02)
Cast & Crew
Start Up Movie
Region 2,4 Director John Woo
Studio
Distributor

Warner Home Video
Starring John Travolta
Nicolas Cage
Joan Allen
Gina Gershon
Alessandro Nivola
Case Amaray
RRP $34.95 Music John Powell

 
Video
Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None MPEG None
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Dolby Digital 5.1
16x9 Enhancement Yes Soundtrack Languages English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Miscellaneous
Macrovision ?
Subtitles English
English for the Hearing Impaired
Smoking Yes

Plot Synopsis

    Face/Off is a stylish action movie. Very bad boy terrorist Caster Troy (Nicolas Cage) tried in the past to kill very good cop Sean Archer (John Travolta), but only succeeded in killing Sean's son. Sean has been on his tail ever since, until finally, Caster Troy is captured and placed under arrest. Unfortunately, Caster has placed a very large, very nasty bomb in the middle of Los Angeles, and he ain't talking because he is in a coma. The only other person that knows the location of the bomb is Caster's super-paranoid brother, Pollux (Alessandro Nivola), but he isn't talking, either.

    In a desperate bid to get Pollux to talk, Sean agrees to radical plastic surgery which replaces his face with Caster Troy's face, which makes him look like Caster Troy on the outside. This is in the hope that Pollux will spill the beans on the location of the bomb. Unfortunately, Caster Troy wakes up in the meantime, and puts on Sean's face.

    Face/Off oozes style and attitude, with amazing special effects and phenomenal stunts, all deftly directed by John Woo. This is a great movie! It is important to note that we have received the UK cut of this version which has had a small cut made to it - even though I was aware of this, and was looking out for it, I did not feel that we lost any continuity because of this issue.

Transfer Quality

Video

    The video transfer of this movie is acceptable, but disappointing, especially after the marvellous job done on Ransom.

    Subtitles default to ON.

    The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer was generally sharp and clear, though the overall look of the movie was very hard, with overenhanced edges. This made the movie somewhat difficult to look at at times.

    The colours tended to be very hard, and cold, with a strong bluish trend in the colour. I would think that this is how the original looked, rather than being a problem with the transfer.

    No MPEG artefacts were seen. Film-to-video artefacts consisted of far more aliasing than I am used to seeing these days. The aliasing is not as bad as the aliasing in Thelma & Louise, but is certainly as bad as that found in Pulp Fiction. All the usual suspects are present, shimmering away; venetian blinds and cars are particularly notable. Take a look at 36:48 on Side B to see what I mean. Film artefacts were rare.

    This disc is a flipper, with the side change occurring at 71:02, which is just after Sean/Caster jumps off the oil rig. This is as good a place as any to place a side break, though of course RSDL formatting would have been much preferred. The Region 1 version of this disc is RSDL formatted.

Audio

    There is only one audio track on this DVD; an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack.

    Dialogue was always clear and audible.

    There were no audio sync problems for the majority of this disc. However, Chapter 12 on Side B is noticeably out of sync. This is the scene with Castor and Sean in the church. The sync seems to correct itself after this sequence is complete.

    The musical score was by John Powell. It is excellent at setting the appropriate mood for the movie. The music is very stylish. I felt that the music was too softly mixed into the soundtrack during the final chase sequence, which was a pity, since it detracted from the envelopment of this sequence.

     The surround channels were heavily used for special effects, and helped create a highly enveloping soundtrack. Were it not for the audio sync issue, this soundtrack would have received a reference rating, because it is otherwise superb, with explosions, crashes and gunshots flying all around the soundstage.

   The .1 channel received frequent and heavy usage, bolstering the special effects nicely and adding a lot of slam to this soundtrack.

Extras

    There are no extras on this disc. Nada. Nil. Zip. The Amaray case has a single sheet of paper which lists chapter stops, but this doesn't count as an extra. Neither does the little piece of paper stating that the disc is compatible with Region 4 players.

What's Missing / What's Extra

    The Region 1 version of this disc has the Theatrical Trailer on it.

Menu

    The main menu is plain and functional. It is 16x9 enhanced.

Summary

    Face/Off is a great movie. However, the disc is a flipper, and it has some audio sync problems and some cuts have been made to the movie. Not recommended. Buy the Region 1 version instead.

    The video quality is passable.

    The audio quality is excellent except for a small part of the movie which is out of sync.

    The extras present are non-existent.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras nil
Plot
Overall

© Michael Demtschyna
25th May 1999

Review Equipment
DVD Pioneer DV-505, using S-Video output
Display Loewe Art-95 95cm direct view CRT in 16:9 mode, via the S-Video input. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials.
Audio Decoder Denon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital AddOn Decoder, used as a standalone processor. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials.
Amplification 2 x EA Playmaster 100W per channel stereo amplifiers for Left, Right, Left Rear and Right Rear; Philips 360 50W per channel stereo amplifier for Centre and Subwoofer
Speakers Philips S2000 speakers for Left, Right; Polk Audio CS-100 Centre Speaker; Apex AS-123 speakers for Left Rear and Right Rear; Yamaha B100-115SE subwoofer