Review of Blood Father (2016) by Stephanie H — 15 Oct 2016

Mel Gibsons acting career has been a silent one when it comes to his controversial behaviors. Making his career gone into dust after franchises like Lethal Weapon or Mad Max. Blood Father shows a bit of his older Mad Max style as he plays a father who is on probation and sober. As he tries to change up his act, and living in a trailer park next to his sponsor played by William H. Macy. His runaway daughter Lydia (Erin Moriarty) gets mixed up with her boyfriend Jonah (Diego Luna) and his gang. After she failed at killing a woman for falsely accused on stealing money at one of the rented houses which belongs to a cartel. Lydia is on the run and tries to get help from her father John (Mel Gibson).

Mel Gibson delivers a decent performance as a beat down ex convict. And a father who is trying to do the right thing for his daughter. The film is fast paced and has a fair amount of chases and shoot out sequences. Basically, a film that focuses on a father and a daughter on the run from the gang. They come across a redneck and a nazi like organization on there way to another hideout. John is a character that has many regrets of his past for making mistakes and letting his daughter go with the mother and stepbfather who does not care about her whereabouts.

The film does fail at having cliches. Like a not so bright gang finding and tracing where Lydia is located when she escapes from them and is hiding out in the middle of the desert in a trailer park with her father. The gang always seems to know where she is located at all time. Even when they both escape and lay low at a cheap hotel. The hitmans seems to know where they are and what hotel room they were staying in. And another scene of them both on a bike and two hitman are catching up on their trail.

The film does have a weak plot and tries to build some decent thrills. But falls to quickly as a chase action thriller. Good guys run from set piece to another. They come across with not so nice people. The girl gets kidnapped. And a revenge motivation from father goes on a killing spree to save the daughter.

Blood Father is a fair action thriller, thats entertaining with Mel Gibson giving another go with acting, some decent action, and a not worth mentioning plot that is forgettable.