Face/Off (1997)

Face/Off asks you to believe a surgeon can swap two men’s faces, plus their voices with a tiny chip, and then it dares you to complain. Nobody complains. Nicolas Cage plays a good guy trapped as a maniac, John Travolta plays a maniac stuck as a good guy, and both are clearly doing impressions of each other and having the time of their lives. Travolta making himself at home in the cop’s house is the most unhinged family sitcom ever made. Joan Allen keeps a straight face through all of it. John Woo throws in doves, slow motion and a standoff in a church, because subtle was never on the menu. The catch is length. At 138 minutes it’s one boat chase past exhausted, and the finale keeps going long after you’re full. It made $245.7 million worldwide on a reported $80 million budget. A 7.8 because no one has ever made a dumber idea look this cool. $326 says you spend the whole drive home arguing about who did the better impression of the other guy.

What works: Cage and Travolta clearly loving every minute of playing each other, plus John Woo’s doves, slow motion and stylish shootouts.

What doesn’t: It runs too long, and the boat chase finale keeps going well after the story has already landed its big moments.

Who it’s for: Anyone who loves 90s action at its most ridiculous, and fans of Nicolas Cage at full volume.