Rewatchables Reference

• Chris: The 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' shootout – John Woo at his most operatic, bullets flying while a child listens to Judy Garland on headphones.
• Bill/Shea: The prison escape sequence – Castor Troy (in Archer's body) breaking out of the magnetic boot prison.
• The opening airport shootout where Castor Troy is captured.
• The boat chase finale that took four weeks to film.

• The concept itself – the face swap premise is so insane and committed that it actually holds up better over time as people appreciate how boldly weird it is.
• Working the title into the dialogue: 'I want to take his face... off.'
• Joan Allen's performance, especially the scene where she realizes this is not her husband.
• The idea of 3D-printing someone's ear before 3D printing existed.

• The brother-sister kiss that was apparently improvised – 'improv incest.'
• The sexual tension between Cage-as-Travolta and Travolta's teenage daughter.
• The consent implications of Cage (as Travolta) living as Eve's husband.
• Some of the CGI hasn't held up.

• Originally written for Stallone and Schwarzenegger in 1990.
• Joel Silver attached Michael Douglas and Harrison Ford at one point.
• Mark Wahlberg turned down the role of Pollux Troy.
• Julianna Margulies turned down Gina Gershon's part.
• Other pairings discussed: Bruce Willis/Alec Baldwin, Van Damme/Seagal, Johnny Depp (who thought it was a hockey movie).

• The entire movie is basically an over-acting competition between Cage and Travolta.
• Cage in the pre-credits sequence – grabbing the choir girl, dancing, the gold-plated guns.
• Cage making wild faces in prison with no face on.
• The surgery scene where they give Cage a new haircut along with the new face.
• Cage smoking a cigarette with no face.

• CCH Pounder as Hollis Miller – one of the great 'that guy' performances.
• Nick Cassavetes as Dietrich Hassler – scene-stealing villain energy.
• Alessandro Nivola as Pollux Troy – the squirrelly brother.
• Chris Bauer (Sobotka from The Wire) has a small role.

• John Woo: Yes – this is the peak of his American career, combining his Hong Kong sensibilities with a Hollywood blockbuster budget.
• Nicolas Cage: Yes – the culmination of his post-Oscar action trifecta (The Rock, 'Con Air', 'Face/Off').
• John Travolta: Secondary apex – his 'Pulp Fiction' comeback is the true apex, but this is a strong continuation.
• Joan Allen: Discussed but probably not – The Contender might be higher.

• The doctor casually explaining the face transplant surgery like it's routine.
• Why couldn't Travolta just tell his wife the truth about the face swap?
• Why couldn't they tell the prison guards?
• Surviving the prison fight with a brand new face.
• Swimming from Catalina to LA.
• Holding a 250-pound man by a gun barrel.
• The significant height difference between Cage and Travolta that everyone just ignores.

• Why give Cage the less fun part? (He's better as Castor Troy than as Archer-pretending-to-be-Troy.)
• How exactly do you explain to your wife that you have someone else's face?
• Why not just kill Castor Troy when he wakes up faceless instead of letting him get a new face?
• Who got paid more, Cage or Travolta?

Danny Trejo – improves every movie he's in, even with minimal screen time.

• Cage and Travolta spent two weeks studying each other's mannerisms before filming.
• Originally written in 1990, set in a futuristic/space setting.
• The studio wanted to remove the '/' from the title.
• The boat chase took four weeks to film.
• There's an alternate ending on the Blu-ray.
• Metacritic 82, Rotten Tomatoes 92%.

• Chris: Nicolas Cage – he's the engine that makes the movie work.
• Jason: John Woo – his vision and style elevated what could have been a forgettable action movie.
• Shea: Nicolas Cage.