Mel Gibson makes his own kind of justice in the new Lionsgate film, Blood Father, released on blu-ray Oct. 11. The story of what one man will do to save his daughter follows the common structure of other action films on the market and while it’s not terrible, it’s not spectacular either.
Gibson plays an ex-con whose estranged teen daughter is being targeted by a drug cartel for murdering one of their own. He must call upon criminal connections and fight back to keep her from being killed by them or caught by the police. Will they survive? Is her future ruined by her actions? Will they mend their family bonds before it’s too late?
The film follows the outline of many other modern day action flicks. Teen is in trouble with bad dudes; parent has to fight to save them. It’s definitely not an original story, but people seem to enjoy watching anyway. Maybe it makes them think about the fierce love between a child and parent, or maybe they just like to watch stuff blow up. Either way, this type of film seems to do fairly well.
While the story wasn’t new, it was still a fun distraction from life for the hour and a half it was on. It was predictable yet entertaining. Gibson has always been a decent actor and Erin Moriarty was believable as his daughter. William H. Macy even has a small part, though it wasn’t his best role.
If you’re a fan of action movies with a brutal parental payback, Blood Father is a good pick. It moves quickly from one exciting sequence to another. You know who’s going to win before the movie starts, but it’s fun to ride it out.