tstudstrup He is more bad ass than ever. And funny too.Gibson plays an ex convict and an ex alcoholic, living in a trailer park, making a living as a tattoo artist. His best friend and sponsor is played by the equally great William H. Macy. Unfortunately he is not in the movie much. Gibsons daughter calls him. She's in trouble after killing her boyfriend who is a mexican criminal. Their gang keeps texting her, telling her that she's history. Soon Gibson and his daughter are on the run. I wont give away anymore of the plot. Its very violent and it reminds me of Taken (also directed by a frenchman) but this is better, more violent and funny too. Only letdown is Macy not being in the movie more. And with a running time of just 87 minutes, it feels like it should have been just 20 minutes longer. Because the showdown at the end is just over too fast. But maybe that was a budget problem, who knows. Thats why I'm only giving this movie 9 out of 10 stars. It shouldnt surprise me anymore that some of the best actionmovies in Hollywood are directed by frenchmen. Even though all french people Ive ever met are assholes, they sure know how to make actionmovies that the american directors no longer know how to make.

gjamesbell-02194 I checked this movie out with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Mel Gibson gives an effective, emotional performance that pokes fun at some of his own problems with alcohol and accusations of racism. Would have liked to see William H Macy get some more screen time, but he makes the most of what is basically a cameo. I was also impressed with Erin Moriarty (who plays Mel's daughter). A very good actioner about a man trying to find redemption for his past sins and forgiveness for the kid that suffered for his criminal ways. Good to see Jean-Francois Richet return to directing English language films after a good start with the remake of Assault on Precinct 13.

seymourblack-1 Most people will expect "Blood Father" to be a modest, run-of-the-mill, action thriller with an uninspiring story but it's actually much better than that. Whilst its plot wouldn't win any prizes for originality, its fast pace, brilliant dialogue and well-choreographed action sequences make it compelling to watch and a storming performance by Mel Gibson (who does anger and frustration so well), adds plenty of intensity and edginess. The well-drawn characters at the centre of the story are a father and daughter who have to go on the run together and their unorthodox relationship and entertaining banter provide a great deal of interest and enjoyment as they both gradually discover that they're actually much closer to their own redemptions than either of them realise.Lydia Link (Erin Moriarty), a teenager who ran away from home a few years earlier, is living with her 30-year-old boyfriend, Jonah (Diego Luna). He's a drug dealer with family connections to a Mexican drug cartel and as part of his operation, uses a number of "stash houses" in which he stores some of his merchandise. When it appears that the drugs in one of the houses have gone missing, Jonah and his gang, accompanied by Lydia, go there and terrorise the tenants. When this doesn't produce any useful information, Jonah kills the man of the house and having given Lydia a gun, orders her to shoot the woman. After a few moments of hesitation and panic, Lydia accidentally shoots Jonah in the neck and thinking that she's killed him, immediately goes on the run. Terrified and with no-one else to turn to, she phones her estranged father, John (Mel Gibson), and asks him for money and whatever help he can give her.John Link is an ex-con and recovering alcoholic who lives in a trailer park and earns money as a tattoo artist. His only remaining friend is Kirby Curtis (William H Macy) who is his AA sponsor and lives in one of the neighbouring trailers. After his long career as a criminal, John is desperately trying to go straight and live a peaceful life but when his long-lost daughter contacts him for help, he can't refuse.After meeting up with Lydia, John takes her back to his trailer where he thinks she can lay low for a while but this soon proves to be impossible when some members of Jonah's gang turn up and demand that she be handed over to them. When John refuses, they ram and topple over his trailer with their SUV and it's only when some of his armed neighbours appear on the scene that the gang eventually decides to retreat. Realising that there's no way that they can safely remain at his home; John decides to go on the run with Lydia to escape the danger that she's in from Jonah's gang. It soon becomes clear however, that her predicament is worse than they realised as she's also being pursued by a Mexican drug cartel hit-man and the police who are following up their investigations into what happened at the stash house. A number of very tense and dangerous situations then follow as John and Lydia repeatedly come close to being killed before events lead them to the story's final, violent confrontation.One of the surprises of this movie is how well the relationship between John and Lydia is depicted as, after years apart, they rapidly build up a rapport which often involves sarcasm on John's part whenever he realises that his daughter has made so many of the same mistakes that he's made in his life. Despite the hard-boiled nature of some of their exchanges, the underlying affection that they feel for each other is constantly apparent and the subtlety with which this is conveyed is one of the most impressive features of Gibson and Moriarty's performances."Blood Father" is full of humour and witty one-liners (e.g. "she's every loser's lucky day" and "Kid, you've got the mindset of a battered housewife") and is also well-directed with great use being made of its locations and a neat symmetry being achieved by the similarity of Gibson's first appearance on-screen and Moriarty's last. This is definitely a movie that impresses with its well-disciplined and no-nonsense approach and will certainly exceed the expectations of most people who see it.

brendanryall-04461 its awful. over acted by some, and poorly acted by others.The script is so thin and basic, it really is a waste of time. Comparing this to Mad Max Mel Gibson is a joke.The audio is mixed by someone who likes to deafen you by the sound of engines and gunshots, whilst struggling to hear the voices.don't bother.