"You may not buy the premise or the windup, but with Travolta and Cage taking comic and psychic measures of their characters and their own careers, there is no resisting FACE/OFF." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"The film "isn't just a thrill ride, it's a rocket into the thrilling past, when directors could scare you with how much emotion they packed into a movie" - Richard Corliss, TIME
Friday, March 27, 6:00 p.m. | In 1997 John Woo’s FACE/OFF introduced a wild idea: a cop swaps faces with a killer in order to stop another crime. Nearly thirty years later, Woo’s gonzo action thriller doesn’t seem all that far-fetched (well, outside of some of the performances). Following the film a local surgeon will explain how plastic surgery, facial reconstruction, and even facial transplants aren’t new sciences, but something the medical community has been working on for decades.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Best Sound Effects Editing - 70th Academy Awards
Science on Screen® | March 23–April 2, 2026
This March, in our fifth year of Science on Screen® programming, the Siskel Film Center presents three films that mix chemicals, shock the status quo, and swap faces—literally—as we explore the science of film, human behavior, and high-stakes identity crises, with experts on hand to break down the real-world wonder behind every experiment, transformation, and on-screen absurdity. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu