User Reviews

A disfigured face as a result of a tragic accident, and unresolved suspicions, result in a life of hermitage for Justin McLeod. His past life as a teacher becomes reawakened by 13 year old Charles, who is on a mission to become educated well enough to pass a military school's entrance exam, and he pleads with McLeod to become his tutor.

McLeod's dark past and Charles' unrelenting motivation become unlikely allies as the two of them begin a relationship born of the common thread that each are misunderstood by others.

This is an outstanding movie, which is much misunderstood by many viewers and reviewers alike. It's a simple case of an adult taking an interest in and making a difference in a young man's life. The movie is even more poignant because McLeod loses the safety of the anonymity he had worked so hard for, when he opens his mind and heart to young Charles.

I have read all of the reviews on this site for this movie and object to those who attempt to review both the movie and the book at the same time. The movie should be reviewed here, and the book at a site for reviewing books. To do both at one time is akin to going to Burger King and ordering a Big Mac.

You don't need to be a Mel Gibson fan to love this movie, but you do need to have an open mind and an unfettered agenda. This is a powerful performance by actors Mel Gibson and Nick Stahl, one that will leave your heart happy and your mind engaged.

Both thumbs up from me for this movie.

Mel is back and better than ever in "The Man Without A Face." This is Mel's finest film to date as an actor and director. Not only is it touching and heartwarming but it showcases one of the best actor turned directors in Mel Gibson. "The Man Without A Face" would be my choice for one of the most touching films I've ever seen.

Gibson certainly knew what he was doing as performed along side a newcomer named Nick Stahl. I can't tell people enough positive things about this newcomer who possesses rare natural talent.

Gibson played his character Justin McCleod the way actors should portray the characters.......with heart. I can't think of a film that showed the world the reality behind people in Justin's situation. Gibson crafted the story very carefully and it shows.

Mel Gibson is an actor with heart and has brought it to big screen as McCleod. I would venture to guess that this role is not that far off than his real-life role as husband and father.

When I saw this film, I didn't have to do much but sit back, eat popcorn and drink my soft drink. I knew it was going to be a moving, touching and heartfelt film.

However, it turned out to be much more. I was pleasantly surprised how Gibson crafted this film into a work of art by using his knowledge of working in front of the camera.

I knew by the end of this film everyone involved with this awesome film from the talented director/actor to the up and coming star along with the viewing audience had fun making and watching "The Man Without A Face."

I recommend this film to anyone and everyone young and old who loves movies.

At times, I did feel a little uneasy of this film, but then something happened, it grew on me. It was probably the performances mainly. Mel Gibson (in his first directorial effort, though I've heard of him co-directing Mad Max and find that Braveheart is better) very finely plays a guy who (like Kevin Spacey in pay It Forward) is emotionally and physically scarred. Since his burns came, he lives in the woods very quietly, until a smart (though very troubled) teen, played well by Nick Stahl, comes to him in search of tutoring in order to get into a military school. But the friendhsip is deep in this film, thanks to the supporting characters of the film who are primarily the boy's family. Sometimes a little too much in one whole strip of celluloid, but most of the time it is worth the watch. B+

About mentorship, the misperception of truths and the dangers of idolizing people

I never critically analyze a movie vs the book, because the media are too different. Same with a photograph- it's impossible to replicate the original painting. Here, however, there's an inescapable analogy worth mentioning, movie vs book. I'd seen the movie twice before ordering the book. What's mesmerizing is how well Gibson delivers McLeod's character. McLeod is a reclusive intellectual with a unique and harsh tone; many lines uttered to young Charles are not only unforgettable, but it is Gibson's voice that pierces the imagination while reading the book. A first for me, I have nothing but praise for Gibson's skill.

Otherwise, 'The Man without a Face' is an all-around good movie, good entertainment for all but the youngest members of the family.

I didn't know anything about this movie before I have watched it because it was never released in my own country, as well as book was never published. I am not a big fan of Mel Gibson, I thought that he is just average but too overrated actor. So you can understand why I didn't expect too much from this movie. But now, I want to apologize to Mr. Gibson. In this overlooked masterpiece he proves himself incredibly good both as an actor also as a director. The story was absolutely great, realistic and touching. Relations between two main characters – former teacher and young student boy (perfectly played by Mel Gibson and Nick Stahl) were shown as great as it possible. It was for sure best Mel Gibson performance ever. Young Nick Stahl acting also looked incredibly good as Chuck Norstadt. All supporting casts also did a very good job in their roles Director and whole cast team brought to us incredibly powerful atmosphere of total misunderstanding in Chuck family and in the whole town. People can't understand and worst of all they don't want to understand other people, who are not like all ordinary people in their small town. If you're not like all – you're odd and nothing more. This movie teach us never judge people only by appearance and groundless suspicions, teach us always look inside the people. It was very strong, powerful and important messages. All dialogs were very well written and very memorable. In addition to this cinematography and soundtrack were very good.

So, I consider The Man Without a Face as a stunning excellent film, best Mel Gibson film, one the best of the year and one of the best movies I've ever seen. If you're a Mel Gibson fan or simply love films with excellent story and perfect acting I highly recommend this film. Thanks a lot Mel and all people involved in this masterpiece.

My grade 10 out of 10 or A+++

Thanks for reading and sorry for my bad English. Feel free for mailing me about any of my posts and comments here.

This was a well acted movie, nothing to grandeur to be sure but interesting enough. The film has a boy who actually wants to go to a boarding school which is kind of a nice change of pace, but he does not really have the grades to do so. Well lucky for him there is a recluse living nearby, and he just happens to be a teacher. Well he tries to get this guy's help, but the guy is rather hesitant to do so. He is disfigured thanks to an incident in the past and he is frowned upon by the community. He does take the boy in though as you knew he would have to do seeing as there would not be much of a movie if he did not and the two form a bit of a bond. Not really a big one where the guy makes up for the fact the boy is fatherless, but a student teacher one to be sure. Well something happens and the boy is caught at this mans house by some authorities and there is a big court scene and we learn why the man has lost half his face and why he is frowned upon by the community. Usually I would say this movie is trying to say people unjustly accuse people of things based on appearances and such, but it just does not work in this case as there was sufficient evidence and circumstances to believe the man could have done what he was accused of. Still, Mel Gibson turns in a good performance and it was somewhat entertaining to watch, just nothing that would top any favorite movie lists of mine.

This movie is in my eyes an outstanding example of what films should be like. Nick Stahl and Mel Gibson show their immense ability to act in such a convincing way that this movie can be quoted as the movie with the most impressive story of true, honest and deep friendship. Nowadays, films are often judged concerning the special effects and the action, and classic movies slowly diminish. This film is unique because of the simple fact that the number of movies dealing with a topic like that, a topic that requires the knowledge of classic acting, unfortunately goes down.

Nick Stahl, whom I haven't known before, and who is allegedly in the cast of Terminator 3, acts impressive and convincing. It doesn't happen often, but I was moved to tears, for the true friendship between Norstadt and his teacher gives the audience the message that real friendship, the belief in the future and your own self-confidence can help you to solve every problem.

Congratulations to Mel Gibson and Nick Stahl, movies like this one, carrying such a pure message of life, preserve the issue of classic films: Move the audience, give them something to think about..... and let them feel the magic of films like this one. Watch this movie, and you'll know how to define friendship. Greetings from Austria to all imdb.com users!!

Chuck Norstadt (Nick Stahl) is the middle child of his widower mother. He is desperate to go to the military academy that his father attended after failing the entrance test. He spaces out from time to time and everybody looks at him as a little slow. He often fights with his half-sisters Gloria and Megan. Their mother has a new boyfriend in anti-war Prof. Carl Hartley. Justin McLeod (Mel Gibson) is the local bogeyman. All the kids are afraid of his half-burnt face and his dog. The adults gossip about the numerous rumors about the recluse. He's a former teacher and Chuck convinces him to prepare him for the exam.

Chuck starts off as an unlikeable brat. Stabbing the tire is too much. On the other hand, it does give a connection between Chuck and McLeod. It bugged me for the first half of the movie that every other word coming out of Chuck is a lie. The mentor relationship does build into something interesting. This is Mel Gibson's directorial debut and he shows a nice confidence. The movie does threaten to be overwrought in the last act but he is able to rein it in just enough.

THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE, despite accusations of novel bastardization and a heavy ultra-conservative agenda, has some good moments. I'm not a particularly strong fan of Mel Gibson, and oft times, am quite dubious of his acting talent. However, for a directorial debut, he didn't do half bad.

My problems with T.M.W.A.F. was along the lines of holes in the script. We never get to fully explore why Charles/Chuck goes into catatonic states, except for a few clues and at times, sibling rivalries. There's a scene where he lays all his problems on his mother, emotionally crushing the woman. She walks away. This situation never gets resolved or even addressed again. What happened here? The screenwriters got the viewer worked up, then walked away like mom.

Another scene where one of the young lead hurls profanities at a couple of elder men in the woods, was hardly realistic from that period of time. Even by today's standards, in small town America, where everybody knows one another, a child throwing this language at elderly people wouldn't go unanswered. It could fulminate, at the very least, into a sound "talking to" (if not, corporal punishment), whence the child returned home.

Also, the genuine "feel" of friendship between the protagonists never really materialized for me. It started stiff, as expected, yet never slowly blossomed into something believable.

THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE is an okay way to pass the time, if you're willing to put your objectivity in neutral. It has some good scenes, yet doesn't explore the complexities of this unique friendship too deeply.

A badly disfigured former teacher (Mel Gibson) instructs a youngster (Nick Stahl) who is trying to make the grades to get into boarding school. Gibson's past is mysterious though and Stahl's family history is far from sweet and rosy as well. Difficult drama that has been misunderstood and under-rated ever since its premiere in 1993. Gibson's first directing venture does admittedly have more heart than brains, but he works wonders with what could have been a manipulative and predictable story. Of course this work behind the camera would lead to recent classics "Braveheart" and "The Passion of the Christ". Heartwrenching and emotionally-charged winner that will pull at you and never completely let go. 4 stars out of 5.

Funny, he can ruffle the worlds feathers with The Passion, but back in '92 he cant play a homosexual. Oh that's right, he's a catholic. it has to be Hollywoodized like Philadelphia, which was clearly a joke.

Too bad they butchered the book. Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie, but when you take the main focal point, the core, away from the story, well then it's really not that story any longer is it. It was just rewritten to develop into something completely different. Imagine the studios, anyone of them, save an Indy label maybe, having a film about a boy and a man having a sexual relationship with each other. Heads would roll.

Mel Gibson both directs and stars in this moving film as Justin McLeod, a reclusive former teacher who was partially disfigured in a car accident ten years previous, and where a student was incinerated. Ever since, he has lived on the edge of town, an object of fear and ridicule, until one young man named Charles 'Chuck' Norstadt(Nick Stahl) befriends him with the aim of being tutored by him, since his grades need improvement, and Chuck is not afraid. However, his family is still suspicious, and Chuck will uncover the truth about McLeod that will change their lives forever.

Mel Gibson does a fine job directing and acting, building a believable portrait of this scarred man who needs a second chance from a society that has wrongly judged him, and a young boy who will have his life turned around, leading to a most fitting finale.

The Man without a face is a decent movie. I am not sure why is it rated lower than 7 on imdb, but it was a good drama movie. The movie presents a very beautiful message i.e. Sometimes you feel or judge that a person, who is a little different than others. Is horrible person because he/she is different but in reality that person may have a very beautiful soul. The movie tells us not to judge people because of his/her appearance. I remember back in school, every story used to have a moral and so does this movie. Other than that, Mel Gibson's acting is again as amazing as ever. This movie also showcases how much talented director he is.

"The Man without a Face" was Mel Gibson's 1993 debut as director. Gibson stars in the eponymous role as McLeod, a man whose face is heavily scarred. The story takes place on coastal Maine during the summer of 1968. Several years earlier McLeod moved to the area to live in seclusion and do his unconventional work with the requisite privacy. Unfortunately, but to be expected, rumors about the mysterious recluse circulate amongst the locals, who callously refer to him as "hamburger head." A fatherless 12 year-old, Chuck (Nick Stahl), wants to go to a military school and therefore enlists the aid of the outcast and a good relationship develops. Margaret Whitton plays Chuck's oft-married mother while Fay Masterson and Gaby Hoffmann his half-sisters. Geoffrey Lewis is on hand as the town's police chief.

I saw this movie years ago and, despite it being a decent drama, it left a sour taste. Why? Four reasons and they all have to do with the third act: (1.) It introduces the rumor of a hideous crime where someone is falsely accused (LIKELY falsely accused) and plots like this infuriate me for obvious reasons. (2.) The crime in question is sexual molestation, which is always an uncomfortable and awkward topic, to say the least. (3.) There's a scene where a character is given the opportunity to affirm or deny the wicked allegations and he refuses; instead he answers by asking a rhetorical question. This is also frustrating. If someone didn't commit a crime then he (or she) should JUST SAY SO. (4.) Another scene struck me as stoo-pid simply because intelligent, discerning people are careful (and responsible) to make sure that what they do doesn't have the "appearances of evil" even though it's not evil, if you know what I mean. The character in question fails to do this and it was, again, infuriating.

Watching the film a second time, I have much higher respect for it because I now see what it's really about. The plot reveals the surface meaning – a fatherless kid finds a much-needed father-figure and a lonely outcast is blessed with human acceptance and the opportunity to fulfill his calling (teaching) – but the movie goes much deeper than this, which explains the existence of the third act and why everything else leads up to it. The subtext is a condemnation of gossipy lowlifes found in every community who destroy lives with their wicked tongues; that is, IF they're not called to account. They're judge, jury & executioners of innocent people. Their prey-of-choice is unconventional types or those perceived as a threat due to their figurative strength. Such slanderers are arrogant fools who love tearing others down, particularly those outside of their group. They feed on creating strife through lies, half-truths, negative spinning, unjust criticism, name-calling and mocking. THEY are the true monsters, not people like McLeod.

The more extreme the nature of the accusation the better, which is why these scum shoot for the most hideous of lies, such as sexual molestation. Such ignoble gossips are literally everywhere and their slander will spread and poison others' minds IF someone doesn't boldly put a stop to their lies. There's an effective scene at the end where the accused person approaches an elderly couple with whom he had a good relationship, but it's clear that the rumors had gotten to them and their minds are now poisoned because they refused to hear his defense before drawing a damning conclusion. There was nothing he could do and it's heartbreaking. Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens all the time.

While the drama of the film is solid, not great, it's the movie's subtext that breaks the threshold of greatness. The awesome coastal locations are a plus, as is the peripheral cast. While the movie's laden by the sexual molestation subplot it's justified because it ties into the picture's potent theme.

The film runs 115 minutes and was shot on coastal Maine and Nova Scotia.

GRADE: B+

***SPOILER ALERT*** Don't read further unless you've seen the movie.

I've heard some seriously erroneous claims about the movie, like McLeod really did have a sexual relationship with Chuck. Nonsense. These people didn't pay attention because the movie itself thoroughly disproves such claims: First of all, there's no scene where sexual abuse is even hinted at. Secondly, when the mother asks Chuck if McLeod "touched" him he responds with a shrug, "Yeah, why?" In other words, he touched him only in appropriate ways, like a pat on the back and so forth. "What's the big deal?" is essentially his response. Furthermore, Chuck tries to find out the truth about McLeod upon hearing the gossip/rumors and then steals his mother's car and goes straight to McLeod's house in a frenzy to confront him. McLeod's not the type to TELL people what to believe so he asks Chuck (paraphrasing), "Have I ever done anything remotely questionable or abusive when you were around me?" It's a rhetorical question and the non-verbal response is "Absolutely not." This explains why McLeod had no worries when the police officer came to his house earlier in the story looking for Chuck after he was missing for a night. He nonchalantly responds, "Yes, he's here; he's sleeping upstairs." He had no worries BECAUSE nothing improper was going on. Be that as it may, their friendship ends for legal reasons and McLeod moves away, but he secretly attends Chuck's graduation 7 years later at the military school where they happily wave to each other from a distance, hardly the appropriate behavior if McLeod committed an atrocious sex crime against the youth years earlier.

A beautiful, touching, heartwarming story about a boy living in a dysfunctional family with his mother and two sisters, all of whom posess above average intelligence, and consider him to be the "retard" of the family. His only dream is to join the military academy, mostly to get away from his family. He meets a disfigured man (Mel Gibson), the local "freak" of the town. After learning that the man used to be a teacher, he asks for tutoring. In time, not only does the man become the boy's tutor, he becomes his best friend.

10/10

This film is the debut of Mel Gibson as director, in a film where also it plays the main role, as a man who lives away from the other people due to his past and a serious deformation of his face, having by sole company and friendship a young boy, who asked him for private lessons in order to become a military. The film gives a very interesting message about the differences between people, the prejudices and the distorted way we sometimes look at people who are simply different from us. This is the great moral beauty of the film, which shows us that ugly faces may not mean evil intentions, and that we should not judge people without knowing them. Gibson is great in the main character, filling the film with his withdrawn personality and his mysterious past. Although the film isn't excellent, its a good exercise in direction of a multifaceted actor.

I agree with those who say that this is one of the very few instances where a movie is actually much better than the book. Some would say that it is 'cowardly' to make the main character more sympathetic. I, however, call the screenwriter bold for having taken such a strong direction away from the author's apparent original intention, and furthermore to pull it off so well.

Not only is the script exceptional, not only is the directing exceptional, but the casting is perfect and the acting is right on the mark in every scene and every respect. This is well-balanced and appealing entertainment. A poignant and moving film which will make any open-minded person examine their own looks-based prejudices. I think the film does Isabelle Holland's story more justice than did the work of her own hands. I also find the character of Justin more fleshed out in the movie, with the performance of Mel Gibson, whose face is only half-seen throughout. He does a better job with half his face than your average actor today could do with a hundred faces.

I practically grew up around the area where this movie was filmed . . . the scenery is indeed that beautiful and more. The acting in this movie is top notch. But still. . . as much as I WANT to like this movie, I can't.

I'm the last person to say a movie is bad just because it changes from the book. That's not the point with "Face." The point is, Mel Gibson DRASTICALLY changed the entire political and social meaning of the original text. He substituted his own extremely conservative slant to the entire film. I think most critics of "Face" concentrate on Gibson's homophobia. That's just the start . . . not a single character in this movie who is against the Vietnam War is presented with any kind of dignity or intelligence. As far as Gibson is concerned, they're all boobs. Send your kid to a military academy in the heat of the Vietnam War! Who cares? There are no moral issues at stake here. All the critics of this kid's desires just don't understand, don't know what they're talking about.

It's too bad . . . this is a good movie overall. But I can do without Gibson's thick conservative interpretation. I could accept a balanced presentation, one where all sides are seen as credible. But that's just not Gibson's agenda. It's like he's out to slam gays and peace activists in one fell swoop. Yup, it's like he wanted to "redefine" patriotism and masculinity.

Mel, you make me sick. And I hope no one responds with, "It's just a movie!" Art counts. It's why Lincoln told Harriet Beecher Stowe that she was the "cause" of the Civil War. "Face" is not comparable to "Uncle Tom's Cabin," of course, but it's still hell bent on its political agenda.

Mel Gibson gives one of his best performances as the disfigured ex-teacher who takes a troubled young boy (Nick Stahl) under his wing as tutor, mentor, and friend. while the idea of two outcasts, one an adult teacher and the other a young teen boy, forming a bond is not new, the story is still compelling. the suspicions surrounding Mcleod (gibson) and his past lead to new allegations. the allegations are answered when Mcleod asks Charles what he thinks about McLeod's past based on their relationship. McLeod forces Charles to think and judge based on his knowledge not on suspicion or hearsay. the final scene speaks volumes about what their relationship was and what it meant to each of them. this film ranks up there with "a separate peace" and "dead poet's society" as a teen awakening film.