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FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I was intrigued by this movie's premise: a secret agent and a terrorist swap faces and pretend to be each other. But, sadly, it turned out to be the kind of action movie I don't typically enjoy.
First of all, the overabundance of action scenes and all the panning shots… any movie that reminds me of Michael Bay is not on good terms!
But more importantly, the first action scene, for me, sums up why this movie doesn't work. The characters are barely set up at all before they're thrust into a big action scene, so it's hard to get invested. And when the entire premise depends on playing another character, you really need to make sure the characters are fully developed and understood. We know absolutely nothing about them before they're transformed, so we don't have a clue what they're supposed to be like as each other aside from the basic disposition.
Also, the film is so stylish that that actually works to its disadvantage. For example, in the Mexican standoff scene at the end, what does it do once the guns start firing? It goes into slow-motion, which completely ruins the impact.
Now, what did I like? Well, John Travolta and Nicolas Cage are both excellent, especially at playing both personalities and demonstrating how they clash. I also really like the "let's kill each other" scene with the mirrors.
But overall, this movie puts style so firmly before substance that it's distracting and disappointing.
My rating: 50%
