Editing Face/Off (section)

{{Short description|1997 film by John Woo}}
{{Other uses|Face Off (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Face/Off
| image          = FaceOff poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Woo]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[David Permut]]
* [[Barrie M. Osborne]]
* [[Terence Chang]]
* Christopher Godsick
}}
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Mike Werb]]
* [[Michael Colleary]]
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[John Travolta]]
* [[Nicolas Cage]]
* [[Joan Allen]]
* [[Gina Gershon]]
* [[Alessandro Nivola]]
}}<!-- Per poster billing block. -->
| music          = [[John Powell (film composer)|John Powell]]
| cinematography = [[Oliver Wood (cinematographer)|Oliver Wood]]
| editing        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Christian Wagner]]
* Steven Kemper
}}
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[Touchstone Pictures]]
* [[David Permut|Permut Presentations]]
}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Paramount Pictures]]<br />(North America)
* [[Buena Vista International]] (international)
}}
| released       = {{Film date|1997|06|27|United States}}
| runtime        = 139 minutes<ref>{{Cite web|last=BBFC|title=Face/off|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/face-off-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmta5mjg|access-date=2021-01-02|website=www.bbfc.co.uk|language=en|archive-date=January 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102161654/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/face-off-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmta5mjg|url-status=live}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $80&nbsp;million<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=faceoff.htm |title=Face/Off (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |date=August 29, 1997 |access-date=January 14, 2012 |archive-date=January 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127075734/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=faceoff.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
| gross          = $245.7&nbsp;million<ref name="mojo"/>
}}
'''''Face/Off''''' is a 1997 American [[science fiction action film]]{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{cite web|title= THE ORAL HISTORY OF FACE/OFF, NICOLAS CAGE'S INEXPLICABLE SCI-FI MASTERPIECE |website= [[Inverse (website)|Inverse]] |date= June 27, 2022 |access-date= 28 June 2022 |url= https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/face-off-oral-history/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first= Caitlin |last= Chappell |title= How the Adam Project's Face/Off Reference Came to Be |website= [[Comic Book Resources]] |date= 16 March 2022 |access-date= 28 June 2022 |url= https://www.cbr.com/adam-project-face-off-reference-explained/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first= Paul |last= Martinovic |title= Face/Off is Still The Craziest Action Film of Its Era |website= [[Den of Geek]] |date= 27 June 2019 |access-date= 28 June 2022 |url= https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/faceoff-is-still-the-craziest-action-film-of-its-era/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first= John |last= Squires |title= Adam Wingard Updates on 'Face/Off' Sequel; Will Nicolas Cage Return? |website= [[Bloody Disgusting]] |date= 7 June 2022 |access-date= 28 June 2022 |url= https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3718274/adam-wingard-updates-on-face-off-sequel-will-nicolas-cage-return/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first= Grant |last= Hermanns |title= Face/Off 2 Update Shared By Nicolas Cage |website= [[Screen Rant]] |date= 3 May 2022 |access-date= 28 June 2022 |url= https://screenrant.com/face-off-2-movie-updates-nicolas-cage/}}</ref>}} directed by [[John Woo]], from a screenplay by [[Mike Werb]] and [[Michael Colleary]]. It stars [[John Travolta]] as an [[FBI]] agent and [[Nicolas Cage]] as a terrorist, who undergo an experimental surgery to swap their faces and identities.<ref>{{cite news |last=Turan |first=Kenneth |date=June 27, 1997 |title=John Travolta and Nicolas Cage get under each other's skin-—literally-—in John Woo's return to form, 'Face/Off' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-27-ca-7249-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204071925/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-06-27/entertainment/ca-7249_1_john-woo |archive-date=December 4, 2017 |access-date=November 6, 2010 |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |authorlink=Kenneth Turan}}</ref>

The film co-stars [[Joan Allen]], [[Gina Gershon]], and [[Alessandro Nivola]], and features [[Dominique Swain]], [[Nick Cassavetes]], [[Harve Presnell]], [[Colm Feore]], [[CCH Pounder]], and [[Thomas Jane]] in supporting roles. Principal photography began on January 4, 1997 in [[Los Angeles]], and wrapped on April 1. The film score was composed by [[John Powell (film composer)|John Powell]].

''Face/Off'' was the first [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] film in which Woo was given major creative control. It earned critical acclaim for the performances by Cage and Travolta and its stylized action sequences. The film earned $245&nbsp;million worldwide, making it the [[1997 in film|11th highest-grossing film of 1997]], and was nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Sound Editing|Sound Effects Editing]] ([[Mark Stoeckinger]] and [[Per Hallberg]]) at the [[70th Academy Awards]].

Since its release, the film gained a strong [[Cult film|cult following]] and it is considered by many as one of Woo's best films.<ref>{{cite web |first=Andrew |last=Taylor |url=https://collider.com/face-off-john-woo-best-hollywood-movie-the-killer/ |title='Face/Off' Went Full John Woo by Channeling His Classic 'The Killer' |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=June 27, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |
first=Andrew|last=McGrotty |url=https://movieweb.com/john-woo-best-movies/ | title=Best John Woo Movies, Ranked | website=[[MovieWeb]] |date=April 14, 2022 }}</ref>