Blood Father, directed by Jean-François Richet, is a simple film. One that doesn’t go in-depth with its exploration, but it does deliver enough that it keeps you entertained and engaged with what it wants to get done. This film doesn’t offer much for me to write about but it is still a film that is worth being talked about – so let’s get that going.
In ‘Blood Father’, Lydia – played by Erin Moriarty – has gotten wrapped up with some nasty individuals, and after she accidentally kills a man who is important to their illegal operation, she has to run and fine sanctuary with the only person she thinks can help her: Link – played by Mel Gibson. The two embark on a duel journey; one of their journeys sees them fleeing from the men trying to kill them both and the other journey is the reforming of their broken father, daughter relationship.
So I know this isn’t an opinion that a lot of people will share, nor may it necessarily be a popular one, but I have missed seeing Mel Gibson in films. As a kid I watched him in so many films and I always loved seeing him – being born in Scotland means I’ve seen ‘Braveheart’ a lot! So I was glad to see him resurface and I was also glad to see that he still totally has it as an actor. Gibson is without a doubt the shining beacon of brilliance in this film; whether it’s the delivery of a line with just the right amount of dry-humour or its him going completely off the rails and losing it on another character, I couldn’t get enough. Seeing him in this only strengthened my want for him to be in more films. I know that he’s still directing and has a film coming out soon: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, but I still need my fix of him in front of the camera and this film gave me a decent enough fix for now.
Alongside Gibson is Erin Moriarty (Lydia) who does a pretty decent job in the film. Now there were a couple of occasions where I didn’t feel she completely fit the tone of a scene, but for the most part I was on board with the character. But where the main thrust of the film comes in is the rebuilding of the relationship between Lydia and Link. I felt it worked well enough and I enjoyed the dynamic between them. I do feel the film would have benefited from a slightly longer running time (this film is around 88 minutes) as then it would have been able to better flesh out and explore their dynamic – things do feel a little rushed in the beginning which hampers things later on, but not too much.
When it comes to the overarching story, things are pretty by the numbers. I wasn’t really ever surprised or impressed by anything; it’s your standard run and gun story. It worked well enough for what was needed and it thankfully never got unnecessarily complicated, which in turn would have made the film a chore to watch. You know what you’re getting and the film simply and easily lays it out for you.
From an action standpoint there’s nothing that really stands outs; there were one or two opportunities (I feel) to have done something big or memorable but my assumption is that they didn’t have the time or the budget and so things are pretty basic in their execution. Now of course with the intensity of Mel Gibson in the action scenes, there is the off-chance of unpredictable ferocity (which you do get) and so it is he that helps to keep the film exciting and explosive.
Overall, ‘Blood Father’ is not a film that is going to blow your socks off or leave you gripping the edges of your seat, but it’s simple enough film that you’ll be entertained for an hour and a half and you’ll laugh a couple of times. I ultimately got what I was expecting from this film and was satiated by what delivered.
I’m going to recommend ‘Blood Father’. Not a film you need to rush out to the cinema and see – unless your desperate to get your Mel Gibson fix – but if you do you’ll probably have an enjoyable time, it also helps if you go with some friends, that way you can banter about it afterwards.
Did you enjoy ‘Blood Father’? Let me know in the comments down below. If you’d like to keep reading more of my reviews, why not follow this blog directly, or follow me over on Twitter –@GavinsTurtle. Thank you for reading my review and have yourself a splendid day.
The Ramblings of a Scotsman 