The Man Without a Face (1993) – Encore Review

“Is it this? Is this what you see? I assure you it is human. But if that’s all you see, then you don’t see me. You can’t see me.” – Justin McLeod

Number of Times Seen – at least 5 times (video in the 90’s, 2 Jun 2014 and 13 Apr 2024)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – As young boy befriends a disfigured former teacher who tries to help him pass an exam to get into a prestigious boarding school.

My Take on it – Nice idea that is able to showcase Mel Gibson’s acting and directing abilities, but the story doesn’t resonate as well as one might hope. The film is about a connection between a teacher and a student and the chemistry between Gibson and a young Nick Stahl just isn’t there. This is so unfortunate, because this story has so much more potential than is realized. The choice to have this story take place in the 60’s is a good one because that decade was perceived to be more innocent and would allow for some of the things that happen here to play out as they do.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Mel Gibson cast himself in the role of McLeod only after he was unable to find any other satisfactory actor willing to take the part. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10) (no change from original review)