Part of Restoration Roundup and Midnight Movies Fri, Nov 13 at Midnight: Introduction from musician and Belcourt staff member Coley Hinson, Press Play Video mobile video store set up in parking lot before the film | BUY TICKETS
Identity theft never looked so good! After a plane crash leaves terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) unresponsive to questions about his plot to set off a bomb in a populated area of Los Angeles, FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) must assume his identity (and his face!) to gain access to Troy’s criminal organization and stop the attack. Things hit a bit of a snag when the now faceless Troy awakens in the hospital and conveniently transplants agent Archer’s face onto his own, leading to an outstanding, mindbending showdown. Featuring outstandingly weird, unhinged performances from both Cage and Travolta, the over-the-top metaphor-loaded “plot” has more in common with the high-drama of a great opera than, say, a Michael Bay film. This criminally underrated big-budget Hollywood thriller from Hong Kong’s action maestro John Woo distills all the best impulses of its director into one of the greatest shoot-em-up extravaganzas the ‘90s has to offer.
See also: John Woo’s ONCE A THIEF (Fri, Dec 4 at 9:35pm | Sun, Dec 6 at 2:25pm)
“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…. Mr. Woo…accomplishes something near-impossible. He makes the viewer buy this film's loony premise, and buy it with a smile.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times (Jun 27, 1997) “It is, of course, beyond ludicrous. But Woo's strength is to positively revel in the unlikeliness of his conceit…. If the knowing sharpness of the script is one strength, the action sequences — which simply set a new benchmark — are another…. In the end this may be [Woo’s] finest moment so far which, by default, puts it in as having a strong claim on the title ‘best action movie ever made.’ Really.” —Adam Smith, Empire Magazine
This series made possible with generous support from Mimi and Scott Manzler.
