The vast majority of action flicks that secure a cinema release are big budget affairs with runtimes at least edging two hours, if not blowing way over. So this downmarket, sub-90 minute genre pic comes as a shot in the arm; blink and you'll miss all the grimy fun. The barebones plot – daughter seeks estranged father's help to run away from drug cartel – relies on clichés, stereotypes and contrivances, but it doesn't really matter, as this whirlwind ride punches out set piece after set piece at a gloriously entertaining rate. Swapping shiny and highly choreographed for gritty and messy, the action sequences are short, propulsive and intense; the practical effects and stunts a welcome treat in the modern CGI landscape dominating the blockbuster season. There's a wonderful streak of black humour coursing through its veins too, often skirting that morally uncomfortable line between funny and plain wrong that is a hallmark of exploitation cinema. Mad Mel can take a lot of the credit for that. Playing ex-con John Link, Mel Gibson is a craggy delight as he amps up the sarcasm and bad-temperedness to Tommy Lee Jones levels of crank, whilst Erin Moriarty's flighty and whimsical Lydia is the perfect Yin to Gibbo's Yang. It's a real shame filmmaker Jean-Francois Richet couldn't find more for the talented William H. Macy to do though, who is criminally wasted as Link's sobriety partner and best mate. Blood Father certainly doesn't aspire to be a groundbreaking film, but it relishes the chance to dish out violent B-grade thrills reminiscent of those straight-to-VHS efforts of the 80s and 90s that frequently starred Charles Bronson. Best served with beer and pizza.
Review of Blood Father
