Castor Troy/Sean Archer in Face/Off (1997)
What we have with John Woo’s smash hit sci-fi action film is a perfect showcase for the more operatic side of Nicolas Cage’s talents. Starring opposite the equally operatic John Travolta, the film is an alternative take on the worn ‘body swap’ plot device, seeing the two lead characters – villainous Castor Troy (Cage) and Heroic Sean Archer (Travolta) – have their faces surgically swapped to enable Archer to infiltrate Troy’s dangerous gang of criminals. The situation is complicated by the fact that Troy murdered Archer’s young son, and Archer is rendered psychologically unstable by the plan.
The film allows for Cage to play two different characters, both of which tend toward the hysterical. As Troy, he appears to display psychopathic tendencies – murdering and manipulating his way through the criminal underworld. As Archer, he is pressured, emotionally injured and above all, desperate to put his life back the way it is supposed to be. His desperation reaches fever pitch as he comes to understand the extent to which his remaining family is in danger, but this is tempered by his growing understanding of the life and relationships of Castor Troy. Both characters give Cage ample opportunity to push boundaries, although here, he does so while in keeping with the tone of the overall movie.
Face/Off is unusual, in that the size of Nicolas Cage’s performance is matched by that of John Travolta, which makes the entire project hang together in a more complete way. The two actors create roles that are complementary – supporting the sense that Troy and Archer are indelibly connected. When all is said and done, however, it is Cage that delivers the grounded version of the hysteria, rather than Travolta’s more pantomime effort.
