Volte/Face

Jusqu'à ce que je regarde Volte/Face, j'avais l'impression de ne pas pouvoir apprécier les films d'action. Die Hard, Speed, The Rock... tous ces chefs-d'œuvre du genre me semblaient trop simples sur le plan du contenu. Ils étaient réalisés de manière spectaculaire, on pouvait se détendre en les regardant, mais cela ne constituait pas une expérience immersive. Et puis est venu Volte/Face et mes craintes d'incompétence à évaluer les films d'action se sont dissipées. John Woo m'a convaincu qu'un film d'action époustouflant peut également disposer d'une dramaturgie intense avec une psychologie de personnages bien développée et qu'un film d'action peut susciter mon intérêt pour l'histoire et m'entraîner dedans, même lorsqu'il n'y a pas forcément de tirs. ___ Volte/Face a un thème fantastique d'échange de visages, élégamment ancré dans le présent pour ne pas sembler ridiculement irréaliste. Il a une histoire imprévisible avec des rebondissements surprenants et des performances d'acteurs uniques dans le genre. Le tout entrecoupé de scènes d'action grandioses à la manière de Woo, qui sont en elles-mêmes un régal pour l'esprit de tout amateur d'action stylisée de manière spectaculaire. Étant donné que je n'avais vu que les débuts hollywoodiens de Woo avec Hard Target et Broken Arrow avant Volte/Face, ce chef-d'œuvre est pour moi ce que Hard Boiled et The Killer sont pour quelqu'un d'autre. Volte/Face est le meilleur film d'action hollywoodien de tous les temps. (11/04/2002)

A psychological action film. Admittedly, that sounds a bit weird, but I can’t think of a better description of my feelings from this movie. It's an action ride with the great John Woo's signature, but also emotionally strong with an interesting plot. With Pulp Fiction I originally wrote that Travolta should kiss Tarantino's feet, but he should blow John Woo. This was his last interesting role, and together with Cage, he delivers an acting masterclass. Very good film. (27/02/2003)

The best movie of John Woo in Hollywood. Great action, great Travolta and Cage and great atmosphere. One of the best American action films of the 90s, but it's a long way from what Woo did in Hong Kong. (24/08/2002)

John Woo knows his craft, no doubt about it, comrades. Excellent choreography of ordinary shooters (the slaughter in Buzz's house with romantic music is simply perversely beautiful), an impressive camera, compositions with John's lovely pigeons... who could resist? The pilgrimage plot is also lost, which is played out with almost comedic ease (the excellent pervert Travolta and his educational style) and, on the other hand, with urgent desperation (the dog's eyes of muggle Nicholas Cage). The whole thing works brilliantly until the last seconds, but it literally smashes the hellish happy ending with one of Woo's worst slow motions I've ever seen (and I even survived Hard Target!). If I set aside the awkwardness and the end, Face/Off is a valuable member of the powerful action trio of the second half of the 1990s, without any problems equal to Con Air, but on the other hand, it is far from reaching the qualities of The Rock. (28/07/2005)

Cage and Travolta compete to see who can be the cooler guy, and sometimes I feel like it's impossible for both of them to play so well. Both of them excel in both negative and positive roles, and when you add the visual aspect of scenes with mirrors or the climax of the film at the funeral, it's hard to find any flaws. The film is action-packed from beginning to end, the best Woo film ever, and as the icing on the cake, Dominique Swain prevents it from going below 100%. (22/01/2006)

Arguably the best action film of the “golden era” of the nineties. John Woo partially refers to his Asian influences while maintaining a typical Western fragrance and grandeur – precisely to captivate the widest range of audience. The action is practically flawless and incredibly captivating. The idea of ​​a face swap is quite original, which is further enhanced by the relatively “realistic” execution. Both Nicolas Cage and John Travolta are well cast and definitely do not embarrass their characters. Face/Off is simply a different film than most others in the action genre. A tribute to Hollywood blockbusters and probably John Woo's best film. (22/11/2003)

This is an action movie that I have liked immensely for a long time. Cage and Travolta are my favorite actors and here they both show two completely different roles and you will believe them both. John Woo proved here that he can shoot a proper action film in America, with a great sci-fi element that is really well done. The face-off scene is one that you don't forget, but there are more scenes like that here. (27/04/2015)