Nicolas Cage was involved with a sci-fi action movie in the 90s that remains a cult classic and might be just as good as The Matrix in the genre. Cage has become one of the most beloved stars in Hollywood, appearing in some of the best cult films today, but he has had several stages of his career where he worked in different genres. When he started, he had some interesting films in his career in dramas and comedies, and, before his current run, Cage mostly appeared in DTV B-grade films.
However, in between those eras, Nicolas Cage was one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars. In the 90s, he appeared in some great action films that always rose to the top of the box office. After winning his Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas, Cage moved on to action films, and over four years, he starred in The Rock, Con Air, Face/Off, Snake Eyes, and Gone in 60 Seconds. All the releases were huge hits, but one had a sci-fi slant and remains one of Cage’s best films in his career.
Face/Off Is One Of The Best Sci-Fi Action Movies Of The ’90s
Nic Cage & John Travolta Work With John Woo In A Great Action Film
In 1997, Nicolas Cage and John Travolta joined forces for the John Woo sci-fi action thriller Face/Off. While it had sci-fi elements, this was mostly a high-octane action movie that didn’t play too heavily into the science fiction aspect. Travolta is FBI agent Sean Archer, and he finally catches the wanted terrorist Castor Troy (Cage), but their battle ends with Troy in a coma. The problem is that Troy and his cohorts had planted bombs set to go off. Archer has to figure out how to get the location of these bombs.
The sci-fi elements come into play here, as the technological developments in this film’s world allow doctors to remove Castor Troy’s face and Sean Archer’s face and put Castor’s onto Sean so he can infiltrate Troy’s gang. However, Troy wakes up after this and demands Sean’s face be placed on him. He then sets out to pretend to be Archer and ruin the FBI agent’s life.
This was a standout film for Cage’s 90s action movie slate.
That is where the movie becomes great. Nicolas Cage as Castor Troy was over-the-top and almost cartoon-like as a villain. However, when the two men switch faces, John Travolta has to act like Cage did, while Cage had to take on the personality of Travolta’s character, allowing the two men to deliver great performances. Add in John Woo’s masterful action filmmaking style, and Face/Off was a standout film for Cage’s 90s action movie slate.
Why The Matrix’s Reputation As A Sci-Fi Action Movie Is Better Than Face/Off’s
The Matrix Presented Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Moments
The Matrix was a very different sci-fi action movie compared to Face/Off. Cage’s sci-fi action movie was almost all action, with the sci-fi aspects only used to set up the strange situation the hero and villain found themselves in. After switching faces, the movie was a John Woo action film, with gunfights and high-intensity action scenes. However, The Matrix did something very different.
Face/Off had regular John Woo-themed action scenes, which would always be great. However, The Matrix created a new action style, with Bullet Time and more, thanks to the virtual reality world. Face/Off’s action has been done better in movies like The Killer and Hard Boiled, which had Chow Yun-fat in the lead. However, what the Wachowski siblings did in The Matrix was groundbreaking and changed everything about sci-fi action movies.
Face/Off Still Deserves A Sequel 28 Years After The Original
A Sequel Has Been In The Works For Over Two Decades
There have been rumors of a Face/Off sequel for many years. However, 28 years after the movie was released, the sequel has never happened. There are chances to even use different actors, where the big draw is two big-name stars switching faces, meaning they get to play each other after that. However, even with all the possibilities, it has been in a development rut for 25 years. There is even a director attached in Adam Wingard (Godzilla x Kong).
However, the sequel is still not actively in development. With that said, Face/Off deserves a sequel, and Nicolas Cage has even offered to return as Castor Troy, even though he died in the first movie. Wingard even said that Travolta could return, and with the brilliance of the first film, there might not be a better 90s sci-fi film that deserves another go than this sci-fi action cult classic.
