Face/Off

it is actually mind blowing that i’m rooting for nicolas cage’s character but it’s actually john travolta’s character that is nicolas cage’s character. and it’s hilarious and amazing on how well john travolta and nicolas cage play as each other. they act so damn well, it’s like i’ve forgotten that they’re actually really good actors. this film is just menacing while at the same time very funny. i’m on the edge of my seat even when there’s talking back and forth but every line of dialogue has this precise use intended for that one character and hits so damn hard. the shooting sequences perfectly showcase how their faces mirror each other but the sudden difference in personalities hovers over them in aura. and the slo-mos could never be replicated, they are so majestic and poetic. seeing bullets slinging and bodies flying to either calming music or the bullets themselves being the score. i found myself being surprised by how well written the dramatic aspect of the film was. the already strained conflict between sean archer and his family is already severed but the take over by castor troy makes it seem like things might be going better without sean. then it’s whole thing where the other lives around them might be better off if they stayed switched.  i don’t care this is hands down, travolta’s and cage’s best role they’ve ever played.