Bonus Features
Spread across both discs, the extras for this new edition of Face/Off are surprisingly well-rounded and entertaining. Disc 1 starts off with two feature length Audio Commentaries: one with director John Woo and co-writers Michael Colleary and Mike Werb, and the other with just the two writers. The first obviously focuses more on the director's comments, though Colleary and Werb provide plenty of insight when not fielding questions to Woo. The writer's commentary is a bit more technical, touching on the story development and themes generally unexplored during the first track...along with plenty of anecdotes, of course. Neither commentary lapses into silence very often, but a few stories are repeated along the way.
Also here is a short collection of Deleted & Alternate Scenes (7 clips with optional commentary, 8:18 total), including "Castor Kills the Janitor", "Archer Weeps", "Childhood Lessons", "Hideaway Shootout", "Archer vs. Castor Finale", "Will Dad be Dad Again?" and an alternate ending. It's easy to see why some of this material was cut, but the audio commentary by Woo, Colleary and Werb (recorded separately, in most cases) helps to put everything in the proper context. "Archer Weeps" is probably the only scene that could've been part of the final cut, as this short sequence emphasizes the loss of his son at the hands of Castor. The alternate ending puts a mysterious spin on things, but Face/Off works well enough without the added jolt.
Disc 2 kicks off with "The Light and the Dark: Making Face-Off" (5 parts, 64:02 total), a detailed summary of the film's production. Divided into "Science Fiction / Human Emotion", "Cast / Characters", "Woo / Hollywood", "Practical / Visual Effects" and "Future / Past", there's a nice assortment of cast and crew interviews mixed with plenty of behind-the-scenes footage. Though portions of this documentary seem a bit disjointed---due to the somewhat extraneous section titles, no doubt---"The Light and the Dark" is a satisfying documentary that fans should certainly enjoy. From Woo's original storyboards (above left) to the amazing practical visual effects work, there's plenty of eye candy to gaze upon. Overall, it's a concise and entertaining supplement that partners well with the audio commentaries.
Not to be outdone is "John Woo: A Life in Pictures" (26:06, above right) a relatively short but satisfying documentary about the director's life and work thus far. Featuring plenty of comments by Woo himself, the director shares a few personal stories from his childhood and emphasizes his love for movies, music and art. Most of his recent Hollywood output is touched upon, as are his more notable Hong Kong films. It's a solid enough overview, though most die-hard fans of Woo won't learn many new details.
Closing things out is the film's excellent Theatrical Trailer (2:08), featuring a wonderfully subtle tease that sells the film perfectly. All bonus features are presented in anamorphic widescreen (even the deleted scenes, though a few sequences don't look quite as polished) and everything except the trailer includes optional English, Spanish and French subtitles. It's an entertaining assortment of extras, but the thoughtful presentation makes them all the more satisfying. Compared to the original vanilla disc, fans will be very pleased.
