The talk of the 2016 Cannes film festival sees Mel Gibson returning to prestige after a lengthy absence, in “Blood Father”. Directed by Jean-Francois Richet, the film stars Mel Gibson as John Link, an American war veteran and ex-convict, who fights to protect his estranged daughter Lydia (Erin Moriarty) from the drug cartel that is hunting her down. Led by Lydia’s ex-boyfriend Jonah (Diego Luna), the gang’s intentions become clear, as Lydia is the one person who has witnessed a murderous crime by this gang of thugs. While living with his best friend and sponsor, Kirby (William H Macy), John drives to Santa Monica to rescue his daughter and clean her of this poison atmosphere that has taken her life to the brink of death. In this thrilling action film, John must use his connections from his past life and his skills as an ex-criminal to keep him and his daughter alive. “Blood Father” is rated R for strong violence, adult language, and brief drug use.
“Blood Father” seems poised to be the comeback in the story of Mel Gibson. After some devastatingly negative news broke about the actor a decade ago, Hollywood studios won’t come anywhere near him with a movie proposal. After watching his latest film however, one thing is certain: Gibson still has it, even in the most cliche of movie offerings. I didn’t dislike “Blood Father”, but I wasn’t as phased by it as the nearly unanimous audience that have overwhelmingly enjoyed it so far. To me, I think people are just rooting for Gibson’s success, and that’s understandable. Mel’s on-screen presence commands the attention as an action star presence, and we seem to have forgotten this kind of power in modern day CGI explosion-fests. This is a story entirely about a man who is trying to protect the daughter who he left behind years ago, and there’s something very honorably enticing about that kind of plot that will tug at the heartstrings of anyone watching. With an appropriate setting of the desert, this very much feels like Gibson returning to his roots in films like “Mad Max”, which earned him noteworthy praise over thirty years ago. A kind of starting over for a man who desperately seeks a second chance.
What’s truly poetic about the real life circumstances and the movie, is that the script feels reflective of that background on the character, almost presenting an “Art imitating life” kind of aspect. Mel’s John Link is someone who has failed at many chances to be great in his life, and steered down some truly nasty roads that have left him isolated from the outside world for nearly a decade. Sound familiar? This movie truly is the comeback story that Gibson has been priming for, but is his performance any good? The answer is anything but surprising. As John, Gibson feels right at home, portraying an action hero that is anything but the casual for protagonists in this particular genre. There’s nothing special about his protection of Lydia. Just a man who would die for his child, and that presented some truly touching scenes between the two leads of this movie. Screenwriters Peter Craig and Andrea Berloff are beyond intelligent for making this character vulnerable when his back is against the wall. That vulnerability goes a long way in the thrilling gunfire scenes that accompany this duo everywhere they travel. Gibson’s timely delivery and charismatic traits leave those that he shunned years ago in awe of a man who was once on top of the world. There’s also a really heartfelt relationship between father and daughter here, that doesn’t feel too conventional. Gibson sees a lot of himself in this girl, and will do anything to send her life down an opposite path that frees her from the drugs and alcohol that riddled his life long ago. For the first time in a while, his life has purpose, and the interaction between them leaves for some very near-tear moments against a clock that is running out on both of them.
The script does hit a couple of walls a few times for keeping the entertaining aspect up at all times. One scene in the middle of the movie between Gibson and an old friend (Played by Michael Parks) does very little in detailing the backstory of John, or keeping up with the pacing up to this point. It just kind of stops all of the momentum of the previous act, and sticks out like a sore thumb in a movie that feels more entertaining with the less we know about John. During this act is where you started seeing the holes in such a script, but it never gets to failure levels, and that’s mostly because Gibson gives it his all to make these scenes more than they probably should be.
The rest of the cast is decent, but not anything special to match Gibson’s delivery. The decision to make Moriarty’s Lydia a troubled youth is an appropriate one, but she seems to lack the kind of emotional depth in paranoia that comes customary to these kinds of roles. When you look at Linda Hamilton in the original “Terminator”, you see a woman who feels the fear that her last days are very near. Moriarty constantly feels like just another teenager having fun, and proves that the spotlight of two stars for this film is just too small to offer dual illumination. Diego Luna very much underwhelmed me. He’s as one-dimensional of a villain as you can get, and between he and his top ranked hitman (Played by Richard Cabral), the film doesn’t offer a chance at personality or anything to make them different from the inter-changeable shadow figures that oppose Gibson in these movies. With a better antagonist, this movie could’ve flourished as 90’s cheesy action euphoria, but as it stands, the movie’s conflict is kind of a disappointment. A big deal when you consider a majority of the movie is based around it.
The action is carefully crafted, including some really nice sequences that damages everything from automobiles to trailers. There’s some sharp sound editing when it comes to the various ammo exchanges throughout the film, and their impact on the characters feels as close to believability as you can get, with how well they are timed out. This setting is also one of my favorites for an on-the-run kind of story. The desert is a little played out and cliche in these types of films, but it never loses its luster with me. Where better to be when you’re on the run and miles away from the helping hand of the law? I also greatly enjoyed the low budget kind of feel to the production quality within this film. There’s a 70’s B-movie kind of feel to the chase sequences and gritty cinematography that wraps itself around the grindhouse era.
“Blood Father” is a fun action genre that is worthy if only for the mesmerizing performance of Gibson. The rest of the movie doesn’t live up as strongly to the precedent set by its main star, but there is enough here for a staying in kind of night on the couch, soaking up all of the grungy pulp of Tarrantino culture. “Taken” with a grizzled veteran of action’s past at the helm of another fast-paced adventure through the desert.
6/10