Face/OffMovie Reviews

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Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 82 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
16 Iffy for 16+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    It's the picture that proves action films don't have to be silly, that a few thrill sequences don't mean every other value has to be shot to pieces. Read full review

  • 100
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Exciting and then some, Face/Off blends the director's supercharged images of balletic brutality and spiritual catharsis with an off-the-wall humor that allows John Travolta and Nicolas Cage to really let it rip. Read full review

  • 100
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    But it is the steady accretion of hundreds of small moments in this elegant, high-spirited, intensely satisfying production -- the director's third American movie, but the first to approach the dazzle of his Hong Kong stuff -- that, toted up, makes everything right about this des- perately welcome thriller. Read full review

  • 90
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    As an example of the art of casting, the movie is brilliantly engineered. It allows two major stars to each play the showy villain for a time, and also for each to do an imitation of the other. Read full review

  • 90
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    A delirious mixture of spectacular gun battles, furious explosions and breathtaking stunt work, it's also one of the strangest stories to ever get the green light at a Hollywood studio. You have to take your hat off to Paramount Studios for allowing such inspired weirdness to see the light of day. Read full review

  • 90
    The New York Times | Elvis Mitchell

    Before we go numb from such prefab excitement, here comes a mega-movie that actually delivers what mega-movies promise: strong characters, smart plotting, breathless action and a gimmick that hasn't been seen before. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Andy Seiler

    It could be argued that this movie's callousness toward human life is nihilistic and nasty. But Woo takes everything so absurdly far that audiences laugh at what horrified them moments before. [27Jun1997 Pg01.D] Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    In its best moments, Face/Off practically mainlines fury, leaving audiences no time to think or even breathe. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The high-tech stuff is flawlessly done, but the intriguing elements of the movie involve the performances. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    A provocative premise, virtuoso direction and two dazzling lead performances go a long way toward offsetting a lack of dramatic structure and a sense of when to quit in Face/Off. Read full review


Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Overwrought, sci-fi crime thriller. Not for kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this film contains plenty of graphic action violence, usually in the form on bloody, on-screen shootings. The deaths are quick, so there's not much suffering. The body count is not as high as some other action blockbusters (such as The Terminator), but is fairly constant throughout the duration of the picture. There is also lots of strong language.
  • Families can talk about how and why we treat people differently when their physical appearance is dramatically altered. Why are some of the violent scenes funny and others very serious? When and why is it appropriate to laugh at some "over the top" violence? Why are so many films by Hong Kong directors, such as John Woo, as violent?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Might makes right. Killing for revenge is acceptable. Trust personality over appearance.
What to watch for
  • violence false5 Violence: Many graphic on-screen shootings, brutal beatings. Stabbing, impaling.
  • sex false3 Sex: Cartoon image of female nudity, sexual suggestion.
  • language false5 Language: Lots of swearing.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some smoking and drug use.

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