A Father Makes His Own Justice.
With more than a nod to his off-screen disgrace, Mel Gibson plays a recovering alcoholic ex-con taking desperate steps to redeem himself in the pulpy B-movie action thriller Blood Father.
It’s quite a shock when we first see the grizzled Mel’s weather-beaten, heavily lined face. But he quickly proves his charisma is still intact when his character, John Link, springs forth from his battered trailer in the California desert to protect his wayward, long-estranged daughter (Erin Moriarty) from a murderous drug cartel.
The ensuing action is very much in the Taken vein, with Link using his criminal smarts and contacts to evade their pursuers, but director Jean-François Richet handles the action briskly, while Mel displays an impressive emotional vulnerability – when he isn’t knocking lumps out of the bad guys, that is. Look out for the ever-reliable William H Macy as Link’s trailer neighbour and AA sponsor.
Certificate 15. Runtime 88 mins. Director Jean_François Richet
Blood Father debuts on Sky Cinema Premiere on Sunday 6 August.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgl-xVubsjI
