MONTREAL — John Link (Mel Gibson) might not have much of a life, but it’s the one he’s got. Well past the point where he could charitably be called middle-aged, he’s a divorced ex-con on parole, trying to stay sober, and running a tattoo business out of his trailer located in a small community of life’s outcasts, living in the middle of nowhere in a desert of California. John is trying to stay away from anything resembling trouble as much as he can with the help of his best friend and sponsor Kirby (William H. Macy), perhaps hoping he can eventually make something of what has mostly been a wayward life. But as things tend to go in the kind of no frills, B-movie territory “Blood Father” trades in, trouble has a way of finding him.
In this case, it arrives in the shape of Lydia (Erin Moriarty), his estranged daughter, who has spent as many years as a milk carton kid as John has spent behind bars. She calls him in a panic, on the run from Mexican drug dealers led by her boyfriend Jonah (Diego Luna) because she knows too much about their business. And like her Dad once did, she carries a penchant for the highs and lows found in baggies and bottles. It doesn’t take long for John to come to a couple of decisions: he’s going to give his daughter the tough love she needs to get clean, and protect her unblinkingly from the bad men who are going to come knocking. And soon enough, John and Lydia are on the road, trying to stay alive, and figuring their way out of a desperate and dangerous spot.
Based on the book by Peter Craig (“The Town,” both parts of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay”), who co-wrote the script with Andrea Berloff (“World Trade Center,” “Straight Outta Compton”), the film finds its efficiency in its leanness, and its charm in Gibson. With a physique that’s ready to pounce, a face carrying the creases of a seasoned baseball glove and adorned by a silvery beard that looks it could throw a punch all on its own, the actor certainly gives his performance no shortage of growl, but it’s the humor that makes the turn a winning one. In his heyday, Gibson carried blockbuster movies with an easy insouciance, his characters always managing to find the absurdity in whatever high stakes situation they found themselves in, shrugging it off with some quick wit. And the script here gives him some choice morsels, and the film a capable sparring partner in Moriarty, with the pair nearly going “His Girl Friday” style in one sequence that sees them exchange rapid-fire patter as Lydia lays out her woes and John fires back a barb with each revelation.
The inevitable question that follows, and one that has been asked many times in the lead up to this film’s release, is whether or not “Blood Father” is engineered to be Gibson’s leading man comeback vehicle, or whether he took the role in a bid for mainstream redemption. The actor himself has firmly denied this claim, and frankly, in anybody else’s hands this material would probably veer closer to straight-to-DVD fare, but certainly Gibson can’t be unaware of some of the meta layers “Blood Father” contains. One can only imagine that Gibson smirked at the irony of John’s criminal contact Preacher (Michael Parks) making money selling Nazi and Confederate memorabilia online, while weaving grand conspiracy theories about the collapse of the modern western world. Not to mention a scene where Lydia explains to her Dad the false narrative that illegal Mexican immigrants are stealing jobs from ordinary Americans. It was likely these elements were in the script all along, but unfairly or not, they certainly gain a bit of extra interest with Gibson’s involvement. Nevertheless, “Blood Father” is still a fringe genre movie, one that’s difficult to imagine finding a wide audience, and that even Gibson’s still potent onscreen charisma can’t elevate.
Director Jean-François Richet (“Assault On Precinct 13,” “Mesrine”) does what he can, but clearly seems to have been working with a tight schedule and limited budget. The film feels hastily cobbled together at times, with actors like Thomas Mann and Dale Dickey slotted into roles that appear like they were slimmed down somewhere along the way. Still, Richet keeps the edits quick and pace brisk which may not smooth over some of the film’s patchiness, but certainly makes it easier to let them breeze by. But the biggest stumbling block the movie makes may be from the script itself. Operating for much of its running time with an equal balance between guilty pleasure grittiness and decent father/daughter drama, the film’s conclusion tips toward the latter in an unconvincing shift toward sentimentality and Life Lessons that not only is out of place, but betrays John’s own code of stoic endurance.
“It’s kind of the dad version of the action guy – that’s a genre now,” Gibson told The Guardian this spring about his role in “Blood Father,” and that’s a pretty good summary of the film altogether. Of course, he’s referring to the oeuvre most popularized by Liam Neeson, but there is a more welcome self-awareness, humor and attitude in this picture than anything in the “Taken” movies, and more agency and dimension given to the imperiled family member here as well. That’s not to say “Blood Father” is significantly more substantive, but you might just have a bit more fun indulging in its bare knuckle pleasures. [B-]
“Blood Father” made is Canadian Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival, and will open on August 12th.
Click here for the rest of our coverage from the 2016 Fantasia Film Festival.
