Who's really under that face?

November 21, 2008 11:16 AM

The other day my roommate asked me "What's the name of the tv show where they're always taking off realistic masks to reveal they're someone else? Is it Mission: Impossible?" I told him it might be the movie, but the effect is probably too advanced for the show. He also admitted he might be thinking of the Charlies Angels movie. So that got me wondering...What are some other examples of the effects driven crime-movie trope? Thanks!
posted by apetpsychic to media & arts (22 comments total)

James Bond?
posted by banannafish at 11:19 AM on November 21, 2008

Are you asking for more examples of this trope (removing a mask) or more examples of special effects tropes in crime movies?
posted by burnmp3s at 11:23 AM on November 21, 2008

Scooby-Doo.
posted by Metroid Baby at 11:25 AM on November 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

That was a standard thing in Mission Impossible, where one member of the team was a specialist in impersonating others. Early on it was Martin Landau's character, but when he left the show Leonard Nimoy took over that position on the team.

Others would do it occasionally, too, but it was usually one of those two.
posted by Class Goat at 11:28 AM on November 21, 2008

It was used for comic effect in Murder by Death.
posted by Knappster at 11:31 AM on November 21, 2008

Sorry, to clarify...

I'm looking for removal of masks,specifically masks that are "too good to be true, because it's in fact another actor."

I think they did it in some parts of Face/Off?
posted by apetpsychic at 11:33 AM on November 21, 2008

Alias?
posted by Ollie at 11:40 AM on November 21, 2008

The A-Team?
posted by xotis at 11:41 AM on November 21, 2008

Quantum Leap?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:43 AM on November 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Mission Impossible (TV) Masks -- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
posted by ericb at 11:43 AM on November 21, 2008

Darkman
posted by arniec at 11:45 AM on November 21, 2008

Class Goat is correct. They did that all the time in the old Mission Impossible series where one actor played another actor who was wearing a mask of their likeness.
posted by cazoo at 11:46 AM on November 21, 2008

Wow. I just assumed it wasn't because I'm so used to CGI ones. I'll let my roommate know he was right.

Those Mission:Impossible clips are great, thanks! (Any other examples are still welcome)
posted by apetpsychic at 11:53 AM on November 21, 2008

but the effect is probably too advanced for the show.

If memory serves the effect was just having an actor tug at their neck and then an edit to a shot of a different actor taking off a mostly peeling off mask. Not very advanced at all.
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:53 AM on November 21, 2008

They do it in Zoolander.
posted by artychoke at 12:26 PM on November 21, 2008

They also did this a lot in Mission Impossible 2. You can see an example near the end of this awful scene from this awful movie.
posted by Magnakai at 12:33 PM on November 21, 2008

If you want trope examples, there's only one place to go.
posted by darksasami at 12:58 PM on November 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

When the Mission Impossible masks were on, a different actor played the part. I think the reason that Landau left the show was that he didn't get to do all that much acting. The character was an important one, but most of the time the character was being played by guest actors.

Nimoy was willing to take the role mainly because it was so much different than Spock, and he was desperate to avoid becoming typecast.
posted by Class Goat at 1:49 PM on November 21, 2008

There was a game show called Masquerade Party that featured the guest ripping off the latex mask at the end of the show.
posted by bink at 1:53 PM on November 21, 2008

I think they did it in some parts of Face/Off?

there were no masks that one could take off easily in Face/Off... they literally were wearing each other's faces - via some bogus scifi surgical procedure

man, that was a great movie - Travolta & Cage chewed up the scenery with relish!
posted by jammy at 2:14 PM on November 21, 2008

This episode of the Lone Gunmen uses this concept, and I'm pretty sure the "technology" is borrowed from X-Files itself, but I could be mistaken. Their aren't any anchors on the page, but if you search for "Yves hands Jimmy a retainer so he will sound as well as look like Skinner" you can find the section I'm talking about.
posted by niles at 3:15 PM on November 21, 2008

their there
posted by niles at 3:29 PM on November 21, 2008