The Man Without a Face

In a small Maine coastal town, a twelve-year-old boy named Chuck Norstadt lives with his mother and two half-sisters and dreams of following his late father to a military academy, though he has already failed the entrance exam once. Isolated and unhappy at home, he approaches Justin McLeod, a former teacher who has withdrawn from the community since an automobile accident left his face badly disfigured and led to his conviction over a boy's death in the crash. Though McLeod initially keeps his distance, he agrees to tutor Chuck for a second attempt at the exam, and the two form a bond. Local gossip about McLeod's past, including suspicions that he poses a danger to the boy, soon turns the town against the arrangement.

The film is Mel Gibson's first turn as a director, and he also stars as McLeod opposite Nick Stahl as Chuck. Malcolm MacRury wrote the screenplay, Bruce Davey produced, and the supporting cast includes Margaret Whitton, Fay Masterson, Gaby Hoffmann and Geoffrey Lewis. Made for about 20 million dollars, it took in roughly 37 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.7 from around 33,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 6.6 from some 582 votes. A critics' rating of 5.8 from 25 reviews places it below the audience scores. Gibson went on to direct Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, Hacksaw Ridge and Flight Risk.