Face/Off 4KUHD

Not giving a book report summary of the plot or acting critiques here. Just focusing on the Blu Ray transfer itself. Should you check on any of my reviews, and I hope that you do, that is what you will get, only a discussion of the quality of the transfer. The video transfer onto Blu Ray, as opposed to the standard def version of Face Off, offers an improvement in both resolution and shadow depth....it is not the best video transfer I have ever seen and there are some scenes that appear soft and perhaps muted via the compression, but never the less, the video transfer to Blu Ray is good. There aren't any hints of video banding, aliasing or artifacts. Some snow or grain can be seen if you look for it but it is not very apparent or in any way distracting. The audio is the star of this transfer, tho the audio on the Standard Def version was also good. You are offered DTS 5.1 or 5.1 EX. I preferred the DTS audio and, tho it is lossy, the disc is still demo worthy as it will definitely give your audio system a huge workout. This is a loud movie and, at one point, I had to turn the volume down a touch. There is excellent use of the discreet channels and panning of effects from front to back and side to side. Your sub woofer is kicking out the jams producing as much bottom end as your system can handle. My system is very high end audiophile gear and it was wonderful to hear it put to good use. The extras provide deleted scenes, an alternate ending (which I am glad they didn't use) and a lengthy and comprehensive 'Making of'. Commentary tracks are included as well as a very interesting bio of John Woo. I have long loved this movie. As I said, the standard DVD version was not bad at all. Therefore, the jump to Blu Ray doesn't provide an earth shaking difference but it is still a great BluRay and well worth buying. All my movie reviews are of this nature and focus only on the quality of the transfer to BluRay so check them and see if they are of help as well. Hopefully, this review has been of some help to you in determining your purchase, hope I am on the correct path with a review of the transfer quality as opposed to providing plot summaries. Thanks

Sean Archer (Travolta) has been trying to hunt down his son's killer, an infamous terrorist named Castor Troy (Cage), for six years. Now, Troy has activated a bomb that would destroy a large portion of Los Angeles, and the only ones who know the exact location are him and his brother Pollux (Nivola). When Troy is knocked out and put in a coma, there is very little development in knowing where the bomb is supposed to be. Archer has only one chance in getting the information from the sociopathic Pollux, but his own brother is the only one he can trust. This leads to a highly secretive surgical procedure, in which Sean Archer "becomes" Castor Troy. After the surgery, there is hardly any difference: the hero looks exactly like his rival. And since this movie requires a whole lot of suspense, the story takes a vicious turn as the real Castor Troy miraculously comes out of his coma, and forces the doctors who were responsible for the operation to help him "become" Archer. Soon, "Archer" revels in his rival's family life, while "Troy" adapts himself into his rival's criminal life. Yes, the plot may be a bit implausible, but I think that's beside the point. What we have here is not only an explosive action film, but also a distinctive human drama. We see how this secret surgical procedure affects both men's careers, companions, and loved ones. And the drama mixes very well with the action scenes, which are some of the best ever filmed. Director John Woo has done a superb job with this one. Bullets and shells fly everywhere, cars and boats explode, people are jumping from here to there, it's almost insane! And yet, Woo and the screenwriters still give us time to breath with some dramatic scenes involving the chemistry between both main & supporting characters. Almost every scene involving action and drama is contrasted perfectly. Again, the plot isn't entirely realistic, but what really matters here are the high-octane action and the effective drama. Congratulations to Woo, Travolta, Cage, Allen, the supporting cast, the stuntmen, and the entire crew that worked on this film. Grade: A-

Usually when we go to see an action movie, we keep in mind that the movie may not have the best acting or story line, but we will have the opportunity to see numerous gun fights, explosions, chaos, and so on. Well, I have news for you. All of the above WAS true, until a movie called "Face/Off" came out. This is unlike any action movie ever made. The story is so deep, and the characters are portrayed in realistic manners. There are memorable quotes in this movie, but they are in no way corny. The story has to be what sticks out most in this movie. Travolta is an FBI agent, who wants to take out the villian, played by Cage, once and for all. The main reason is because Cage is responsible for the murder of his son. Travolta is able to take care of Cage, or so he thinks, and it seems like everything is fine. Until it is learned that Cage had planted a deadly bomb somewhere in L.A. Now, Travolta's only hope is to undergo brutal surgery to transform his self into Cage, in order to get the location out of Cage's brother. Who could've imagined that the real Cage woul wake up and trasform himself into Travolta? This movie has it all; suspense, action, and drama. There are great gun fights which will take your breath away. The action is intense, but the story is even better. The only thing I had a problem with in this movie was that Travolta and Cage could never hit each other when they were in the brutal gun fights. Sure, they could hit the janitor, innocent bystanders, and the other baddies, but never each other!! Oh well, I guess you have to have that element to make the movie last longer. This is one of the best action movies ever made, and I would advise people to view this wonderful flick if they haven't already. The movie is so good, that it is an almost guarentee that you will watch it a second time.

Fun movie for everyone to enjoy.

Sometimes, being a legend in something doesn't guarantee success. That certainly is the case of John Woo, a legendary director in Asia, who has made some really influential action films like Hard Boiled and Ichi the Killer. Many of his films are strong influences on today's crop of action directors and actors. When news came out that he was heading to Hollywood, everyone got excited. But in the end, Face/Off is the only one of the films he made in the U.S. that really made an impact. Which is a weird thing, since this film is without a doubt, the most far-fetched project Woo did in the U.S. and probably in his whole career. The film's plot tells it all: FBI agent Sean Archer(Travolta) finally captures his long time nemesis, Castor Troy(Cage), the man who killed his son; but learns he has left a parting gift in the form of a bomb somewhere in LA. In order to stop him, Archer takes the face of Troy (who is in a comma)and "becomes" Troy in order to get the information he needs to stop the bomb. While he is doing that. Castor wakes up(sans face) and forces the surgeons who turned Archer into Troy to turn him into Archer and then destroys all evidence of it happening. The main characters have in fact, switched places. Troy now living with Archer's wife and daughter and Archer hiding within Troy's underworld contacts. Plenty of action ensues. Confused? I understand. As far out and impossible as all this sounds, Woo makes it work. For length of the film you have no problem believing it is possible to turn someone like John Travolta into someone like Nic Cage. The reason for this is that both actors give themselves completely to their roles. Travolta truly shines, first establishing the tortured Archer, then having a blast copying the over the top intensity that Cage infused into the character of Castor Troy. Same thing with Cage. Though we only see him in the beggining as Troy, but it is more than enough for Cage to bring him to life. In 15 minutes, he projects every ounce of decadence and arrogance of the character. Which makes it the more fun when Travolta takes over and vice-versa. It is this interaction that makes this film successful despite the moon crater-like holes in this story. After all, the whole reason the whole convulted plot was concieved, was to explore the duality of good and evil within each of us. Incredibly, it succeeds. Of course, this being a Woo film, there is plenty of action and gun-play. All of the trademarked Woo-isms are here: plenty of gun to gun stand-offs, churches, white doves and enough slow-motion to satisfy the hardcore Woo fans. Woo makes action look like a flowing dance and this film is no exception. The brutality and chaos of some scenes offset by slow-mo shots that makes everything flow. The beggining and end sequences are particuarly noteworthy. The tranfer to High Def is pretty decent. It lacks the sharpness and detail of recent films but a lot of that has to do woth the age of the film. On the other hand, many older films have had better transfers than this one so it is probably a combination of age and a not-so-awsome job on the transfer. Having said that, this is quite simply, the best this film has looked on Home Video. Certainly superior to every DVD release of this film. Face/Off is a great and entertaining film despite its flaws. The fact that you are able to really enjoy it even with the out-of-this world premise, is a testament to Woo, Cage, Travolta and the entire cast of this film. An awsome action film that looks great on Blu-Ray.

Great purchase, very pleased, awesome 4k

Awesome action film. The two leads are great together. Nice supporting cast. John Woo's best film. Worth the 4k upgrade. Can't miss with Cage and Travolta.

John Woo has always been a master behind the camera. But unfortunately his American films have never been so great. This is by far his best attempt at an American Hollywood Blockbuster. The story, the pace, the action are all beyond perfect in this amazing action thriller. John Travolta and Nicolas Cage star in this flick as two different men, one is the law and the other a criminal that wants to unleash terror. Who is who is for you to see, either way both will switch roles. To clarify for those who haven't seen it. Sean Archer (Travolta) is in urge for revenge after his son is murdered by a dangerous and insane terrorist known as Castor Troy (Cage). Castor is eventually captured by Archer...but he needs immediately the location of explosives that are ready to detonate. Since no one will tell him the location...he will have to become him. Literally. It seems sort of silly when you think about it, but the writers wrote the script in a fashion that we forget the disbelief and take it for what it is...a movie. Not to mention Woo's amazing gun fu sequences which are exhilarating! The best since Hard Boiled and The Killer. I honestly can't think of anything big to criticize about this flick, it's by far a perfect action movie. This is definitely a must see on a surround sound system. A must own by all means!! MY PERSONAL RATING: 5 OUT OF 5

Volte-Face est un film que j’adore, et cette édition DVD est tout à fait conforme à mes attentes. L’image et le son sont de bonne qualité, le disque fonctionne parfaitement et la livraison a été rapide. Un très bon achat pour les fans de Travolta et Nicolas Cage.

I remember watching this movie back in the day on VHS. I was on a bit of a John Woo kick back then, watching any and everything he directed. If you get the chance, be sure to check out some of his older flicks he made in Hong Kong, esp The Killer and Hard Boiled. Watching this movie years later, it still holds up. Amazing action (including some of John Woo's trademark tropes he includes in his movies). If you're a fan of Nic Cage, this is one of his more unhinged roles...which probably isn't saying much when talking about him...but ya know what i mean LOL. Amazing audio and video quality. Kino Lorber is up there with Shout! and Criterion for releasing the best quality versions on Blu-ray. If I didn't know the movie came out in 1997, i'd have sworn it was a new release. I recommend this movie to fans of action movies, John Woo movies, and Nicolas Cage movies.

Prodotto in perfette condizioni, spedizione veloce. Tutto ok!!

Face/Off (Contracara) es un clásico absoluto de acción de los años 90's, dirigido por John Woo y protagonizado por John Travolta y Nicolas Cage en dos de las interpretaciones más intensas y memorables de sus carreras. La historia sigue a un agente del FBI y a un terrorista que literalmente intercambian rostros, lo que da pie a una montaña rusa de persecuciones, drama y acción espectacular con el sello inconfundible de Woo. En esta edición 4K Ultra HD la película se ve impresionante, con colores más vivos, gran contraste y un nivel de detalle que supera por mucho a cualquier versión anterior. Es un auténtico deleite para los fans del cine de acción clásico. El disco llegó rápido y en perfectas condiciones, con el empaque en excelente estado y bien protegido. El único inconveniente es que no incluye subtítulos ni doblaje en español, por lo que es importante tenerlo en cuenta antes de comprar si necesitas ese idioma. Aun así, por la calidad visual y la película en sí, vale totalmente la pena para los coleccionistas y amantes del cine de acción.

Super Film Klasse Schauspieler