John Travolta stars as an FBI agent who’s surgically transformed into a comatose terrorist (Nicolas Cage) in order to find a time bomb in this tale from Chinese action guru John Woo, who finally finds his footing in this third U.S. directing effort. In an update of “The Man in the Iron Mask,” the criminal comes out of his coma and assumes the agent’s identity, leaving him to rot away in prison.
Check your credibility detector at the door and prepare to be blown away by the year’s best thrill ride. Also stars Joan Allen and comedian Margaret Cho. Rated R.
GRADE: A-
