Based on a true story, James Coburn portrays a military lawyer assigned to defend a confessed psychotic killer. Set in the context of WWII and the uneasy US-Australian military alliance. The accused killer claims to have killed 3 women in order to possess their voices. Despite the defense lawyer's concerns that the killer is not fit to stand trial, the US military presses forward with the case and its desire to have the killer executed in order to strengthen the shaky alliance.

When John Doe is convicted of being a vigilante serial killer, a vigilante group named 'Speak for the Dead' emerges in support of John's cause—elevating the debate about justice versus vengeance.

Face to Face is adapted from David Williamson's play of the same name which is in turn based on the transcripts from real conflict resolution sessions. The story is about a young scaffold construction worker who is charged with assaulting his boss. By the end of the film, all our assumptions about guilt and blame are turned on their heads. As 10 people sit in a room discussing the turn of events that brought our protagonist to breaking point, twists and surprises reveal that all is not quite as simple as it seems. Michael Rymer directs his screen adaptation of 'Face to Face' (written by Australian playwright David Williamson), as an ensemble piece about 10 very dissimilar Australians bound together by a complex pattern of relationships and shared histories. Hysterically funny and deeply moving, each character's role in the drama peels back another layer as the story digs down to the roots of who these people really are.