The Man Without a Face is a 1993 American drama film starring and directed by Mel Gibson, in his directorial debut. The film is based on Isabelle Holland's 1972 novel of the same name. Gibson's direction received positive reviews from most critics.
Plot
In 1968, Justin McLeod has been living an isolated existence as a reclusive painter for the pastseven years, following a car accident that left him disfigured on the right side of his face and chest by burns sustained in the post-crash fire. Young Chuck Nordstadt endures a dysfunctional relationship with his sister and their widowed mother. One day, Chuck meets McLeod on a ferry. Chuck is both intrigued and slightly scared of him. Chuck needs a tutor to help him pass a military academy's entrance exam. Eventually, Chuck persuades McLeod to become his teacher. While he is initially baffled by McLeod's unorthodox methods, the two develop a close friendship. Chuck keeps his daily meetings with McLeod a secret in order to avoid being scorned for associating with a disfigured man whose past is shrouded in mystery. No one knows much about McLeod and few people have ever made an effort to know him. As a result, McLeod has become the object of gossip, speculation, and suspicion. Ultimately, Widow Nordstadt learns that her son has been visiting McLeod. She and the rest of the town convince themselves that McLeod is molesting Chuck, despite Chuck's adamant denials. Chuck researches McLeod's car accident, which involved the death of another boy, thus causing McLeod's fear of another attachment. Chuck is forcibly taken to a psychiatrist, who Chuck correctly suspects is also biased against McLeod. Chuck inevitably confronts McLeod to learn the truth of his disfigurement and to discover the identity of the youth who was killed in the car crash. As it turns out, the boy was a student of McLeod's. Consequently, McLeod was unjustly branded a pedophile, was exiled from his hometown, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served three years in prison. Once his relationship with Chuck is openly known, McLeod is once again run out of town and ordered by the authorities not to have any contact with Chuck. On his way out of town, McLeod leaves Chuck a note wishing him the best of luck in his academic goals and reminding him to be tolerant of people who are different. In the film's final scene, Chuck is shown graduating from the military academy as his sister and their mom look on proudly. Chuck sees a familiar figure in the background and recognizes it as his "faceless" tutor. They silently greet each other.
The Man Without a Face was released on August 25, 1993, in 865 theatres. It ranked at #4 at the US box office, making $4.0 million in its opening weekend. In its second weekend, it opened in 1,065 theatres, grossed $5.4 million and ranked at #2. After five weeks in theatres, the film went on to gross $24.7 million.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, The Man Without a Face holds a 65% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews with an average rating of 5.7/10. RogerEbert.com gave it three out of four stars, praising Gibson’s performance calling it "a reminder of his versatility; not many actors can fit comfortably in both Lethal Weapon and Hamlet, and here he finds just the right note for McLeod: Not a caricature, not a softy, not pathetic, but fiercely sure of what is right and wrong".
Treatment of sexuality
The film's treatment of sexuality between Justin McLeod and Chuck Norstadt differs from the book by Isabelle Holland. In the original novel, McLeod behaves in a way that could be interpreted as child grooming, taking Chuck swimming and behaving affectionately toward him. Chuck, meanwhile, seems to be attracted to McLeod as more than just a father figure. There is one scene where it is strongly implied that Chuck and McLeod have some kind of sexual experience in his bedroom. In the film, McLeod demonstrates no sexual interest in the boy at all, even though Chuck appears downstairs in his underwear when the police officer calls. Critics have noted that the book's criticism of homophobia had been obscured in the film version. Gibson has expressed dislike for the book because of its implied sexual contact between McLeod and Chuck: "I read the script first and that's what I liked. The book is just – I'm sorry, but the guy did it. And you know, like, why? I just wanted to say something a lot more positive."
Urban legend
Around the time of the release of Gibson's 2000 film The Patriot, and again around the time of the release of his 2004 film The Passion of the Christ, an Internet rumor falsely attributed to radio commentatorPaul Harvey claimed this film was based on an actual incident that happened to Gibson as a young man. The rumor proved to be false.
