If Mel Gibson has been quietly staging a career comeback in recent years with roles in The Expendables 3 and Jodie Foster’s The Beaver, then 2016 could well go down as a defining turning point for the divisive Aussie.
For the first time since Apocalypto ten years ago, Gibson is back behind the lens for Hacksaw Ridge, the Oscar-friendly war thriller due to land in November. He’s also lined up a starring role in Blood Father, an old-school thriller that reads like Taken repurposed for the sun-kissed plains of Albuquerque.
Jean-François Richet is behind the lens, with Gibson stepping into the dusty shoes of an ex-convict turned vengeful patriarch, who “fights to protect his estranged daughter from the drug cartel that is hunting her down. In this thrilling action film, John Link must use his connections from his past life and his skills as an ex-criminal to keep him and his daughter alive.”
It won’t find itself shortlisted for awards anytime soon, but as a low-key thriller, Blood Father just about ticks all the right boxes – a relatively simple setup, not to mention a reluctant protagonist nudged onto the warpath. Erin Moriarty stars as Gibson’s estranged daughter, while Diego Luna, Michael Parks, and William H. Macy also star.
Blood Father opens on August 12.
