Face/Off
Paramount / 1997 / 139 mins / Rated MA15+


MOVIE
Here is one stylish movie well worth your time. Directed by John Woo of the current MI:2 fame, Face/Off is a well written, well acted, action thriller.

John Travolta is Sean Archer a dedicated FBI agent who is chasing Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage). In an attempt to kill Archer, Castor Troy misses and kills Archer's young son. Devastated Archer begins a non stop vendetta to capture his arch nemesis which in turn is slowly destroying his family life.

Years pass and finally Archer captures his man but in the process he puts Troy into a coma. Now with a bomb set to go off in the city Archer must do the unthinkable, put on his enemies face and pretend to be Troy to get the info he needs. All goes well until Troy puts on Archer's face and takes on Archer's life. Now it's a race against time and the odds for Archer to get his face back and re-capture his nemesis again.

VIDEO

This is a very sharp transfer with a very pale look. Some may say that this is a fault but I believe that this was an intentional step by the director to get the "look" he required.

The downside of the transfer is the shimmer, it's terrible and shows itself throughout the movie. There were also some MPEG artifacts throughout also. But worst of all the disc is a bloody flipper, sadly not one of Buena Vista's best discs.

Face/Off is framed at 2:35:1 and is 16:9 enhanced transfer.

This is a dual sided, single layer disc.

AUDIO

One word, Sensational! Face/Off is encoded in Dolby Digital 5.1 with wonderful surround and subwoofer use. Sound steering was spot on an really immersed me into the movie. Dialog was easy to hear.

EXTRAS
Buena + Vista = No Extras
FINAL THOUGHTS
A sensational movie with a super soundtrack letdown by a shoddy transfer and a flipper disc.

16:9 ENHANCEMENT DISC RATING

VIDEO:
AUDIO:
EXTRAS: NONE
PLOT:
OVERALL:

REVIEW EQUIPMENT

Display: 48" Sony RPTV.
DVD Player:
Panasonic A350 Player using S-Video Cables.
Receiver:
Pioneer VSX-D508 Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Speakers:
Accusound speaker system.

Copyright © 2000 by [Roger Ward].
Revised: 21 Jun 2000 00:52:04 +1100 .

DVD INFORMATION
Region Coding: Region 4
No of Discs: 1
OFLC Rating MA15+
Running Time: 139 minutes
Case Type: Black Amaray
Release Date: 17/5/1999
Catalog Number: 34515
List Price: $34.95
Distributor: Buena Vista
DISC SPECIFICATIONS
Disc Format: PAL
Disc Type: Label Only
Disc Format: DS-SL
Chapters: 40
Macrovision: Yes
Manufacturer: WAMO
VIDEO SPECIFICATIONS
Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Film Format: 35mm
SOUND SPECIFICATIONS
Dolby Digital:

5.1 Surround

DTS: None
PCM Stereo: None
Other: None
Languages: English
Subtitles: Yes
SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary: None
Theatrical Trailer: None
Teaser Trailer: None
TV Spots: None
Dolby Trailer: None
Documentary: None
Cast & Crew Bios: None
Deleted Scenes: None
Music Videos: None
DVD Rom Content: None
Collectable Booklet: None
Scene Access: Yes
Animated Menus: None
Production Notes: None
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INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE INFO
OFFICIAL WEB SITE
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VIEW TRAILER
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