Cast: Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl, Margaret Whitton, Fay Masterson, Gaby Hoffman, Geoffrey Lewis
Director: Mel Gibson
Producer: Bruce Davey
Screenplay: Malcolm Mac Rury based on the novel by Isabelle Holland
Cinematography: Donald M. McAlpine
Music: James Horner
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
Chuck Norstadt (Nick Stahl) is a lonely twelve year old boy who longs to know the truth about a father who his mother (Margaret Whitton) and older sister (Fay Masterson) never talk about. Because he is so unhappy at home, he decides to take the entrance exam to a military boarding school. The problem is that Chuck is academically deficient and in need of a tutor. He finds one in the most unlikely of people: Justin McLeod (Mel Gibson), a recluse who once was a teacher. With half of his face badly scarred as the result of a hideously disfiguring accident, McLeod is regarded as the local "troll", and is feared and mocked by all. However, as Chuck's initial distrust diminishes, an unusual bond forms between the two.
I'll say this for Mel Gibson: he's willing to try different things. Other than Kenneth Branagh, he's among the recent few who have tackled a big screen adaptation of Shakespeare. He has also tried several offbeat roles that display a degree of acting versatility, including a man dispossessed in time (Forever Young) and, in this film, a deformed hermit fearing to seek the redemption he so earnestly needs.
This is Gibson's directorial debut, and he chose not to start with an easy film. In a sense this is unfortunate, because, even in the hands of an experienced director, it may have been difficult to get across all the undercurrents necessary to lift The Man Without a Face from the level of manipulative melodrama to that of a stirring, cathartic experience. Occasional missteps cause this film to get marooned someplace in the middle.
The setup is especially uninspiring. Through the first half-hour, as the characters and situations are introduced, the actors appear to be going through the motions. The feeling is of things being forced, of characters and motivations not clicking. After the movie gets going, things relax, and the dramatic elements are given an opportunity to develop. Part Elephant Man and part Scent of a Woman (and inferior to both), The Man Without a Face can't boast much in the originality department.
The obvious message is that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but that isn't the only thing this film tries to say. It also makes the rather shrewd point that society, in the guise of protecting the innocent, too often destroys what it cannot understand. If a friendship is deemed irregular, it is terminated. The Man Without a Face becomes manipulative when it touches on this issue, but not to the extent that it's either uncomfortable or annoying.
The performances, like the script, are of variable quality. Mel Gibson, who was flat in Hamlet, does an excellent job here with a role that requires breadth and depth. The makeup isn't entirely convincing, but Gibson's ability is such that his good looks aren't distracting when it comes to accepting the character. Newcomer Nick Stahl gets mixed marks -- he has several effective scenes in the midst of an otherwise unmemorable debut. Gaby Hoffman and Fay Masterson (who bears a striking resemblance to Nicole Kidman and was last seen in The Power of One) are underused. Both have characters worthy of further exploration.
Those who love to cry at movies will doubtless get their money's worth from The Man Without a Face. Others, I imagine, will discover in this movie what I did: a curious mixture of scenes that work and situations that seem hopelessly contrived or overly-sentimental. I didn't hate the film, and after the jarring first half-hour, it kept my attention, but The Man Without a Face never strays far from familiar territory.
© 1993 James Berardinelli