| Director | Walter Hill |
|---|---|
| Genre | crime film, drama film, heist film |
| Runtime | 87 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $7 million |
John Sedley is a man with a disfigured face, mocked by others as "Johnny Handsome." He and a friend are double-crossed by two accomplices in a crime, Sunny Boyd and her partner Rafe, and a Judge sends Johnny to jail, where he vows to get even once he gets out. In prison, Johnny meets a surgeon named Resher (Whitaker), who is looking for a guinea pig so he can attempt an extensive modern procedure in reconstructive cosmetic surgery. Johnny, figuring he has nothing to lose is given a new, normal-looking face (making him unrecognizable to the people who knew him) before he is released back into society.
Lt. Drones, a dour New Orleans law enforcement officer, is not fooled by Johnny's new look or new life, even when Johnny lands an honest job and begins seeing Donna McCarty, a normal and respectable woman who knows little of his past. The lieutenant tells Johnny that, on the inside, Johnny is still a hardened criminal and always will be. Drones's hunch proves correct. Johnny cannot forget his sworn vengeance against Sunny and Rafe, joining them for another job, which ends violently for all.