It’s easy to forget that not so long ago Mel Gibson was one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood. His spectacular fall from grace in the early 2000s came after the massive box office successes of What Women Want and Signs, and his self-inflicted exile over the ensuing decade meant that we lost the peak years of arguably one of the finest actors of his generation.
Though his comeback has been gathering pace since the turn of the current decade, it now looks like “Mad” Mel is firmly back in the groove. This year alone he’s climbed back into the director’s chair with Hacksaw Ridge, an astonishing World War Two drama starring Andrew Garfield, and next up he’s up to his old tricks in Blood Father, reclaiming the hard-man-with-payback-on-his-mind throne ably occupied in Gibson’s absence by Liam Neeson.
The film, which is based on the novel of the same name by Peter Craig and directed by Mesrine’s Jean-Francois Richet, sees Gibson’s recovering ex-con John Link get mixed up with a Mexican cartel thanks to his wayward teenage daughter (Erin Moriarty). It’s just the kind of lean, mean action thriller that could kickstart a mini career revival for the 60-year-old Australian leading man. Check out the trailer above and let us know what you make of it at @LWLies
Blood Father hits cinemas on 7 October.
Published 21 Sep 2016
Mad Mel returns to the director‘s chair, preaching pacifism in a church whose walls are splashed with gore.
By Ian Mantgani
In celebration of that rare beast – a battle-of-the-sexes fantasy rom-com that netted over $400 million at the box office.
The outer chassis may look battered and bruised, but there’s well-oiled action perfection under the bonnet.
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