Blood Father (2016) – Review

Although there has been quite a lot of controversy surrounding Mel Gibson, it is something which I never really cared much about. When it comes to directors or actors I’m usually only interested in what they manage to put on the big screen. The past few years Gibson hasn’t acted in a lot of movies (Edge of Darkness, The Beaver, Get the Gringo, Machete Kills en Expendables 3) and he has not managed to give a memorable performance (The Beaver probably was the most interesting one). Is Blood Father the comeback he has been waiting for?

Link (Gibson) is an ex-con who lives in a trailer park in the middle of the desert tries his best to stay away from alcohol and make some money doing tattoo work. His daughter disappeared years ago and although he still has hope to someday find her, chances of him actually doing so seem slim. That all changes when he receives a phone call from his seventeen year old daughter Lydia (Erin Moriarty). She’s in a lot of trouble because she’s in a relationship with a criminal. When they raided a house she made a huge mistake. Because of that she has been forced to run and her father is the only person she knows who might be able to protect her. Link picks her up, but quickly finds out what kind of trouble his daughter is in. He decides to fight back and to use the contacts he met while in prison to make sure Lydia is safe.

 Blood Father is a fast paced film which makes its 90-minute running time fly by. Gibson is strong as the protective father who is willing to do anything in order to stop the men who are chasing him and his daughter. With various tense action scenes Gibso shows what he is capable of and really gives his character a lot of depth. Erin Moriarty (who also appeared in Jessica Jones and True Detective) is fine too, but this really is Gibson’s movie. An enjoyable action movie which might not leave a lasting impression, but does put Gibson on the map.