Jean-Francois Richet's "Blood Father" - Return to Form

John Link (Mel Gibson), a reforming ex-convict on strict parole watch, gets a desperate call from his estranged daughter Lydia (Erin Moriarty) whom he hasn’t seen in years. Holed up in a trailer truck park in the California desert with few options, John makes a living as a tattoo artist. He has been sober for 2 years, and is trying to keep it together.  But Lydia’s situation is a game changer. The 17 year old girl is being pursued by a Mexican drug cartel after she accidentally shots boyfriend Jonah (Diego Luna), who may have used Lydia to conceal contraband. John refuses to get pulled back into his past, but he must take action to protect Lydia by knocking on these doors. 

The story is one that may have been told several times in the past, and the theme is universal, much like Brad Pitt's also-showing "Allied", i.e. protecting the people your love at all cost. 

But Mel Gibson and the film's cavalcade of characters are an engrossing bunch, you're compelled to watch the events unravel. Besides, this is Gibson's comeback after a two-year hiatus (last seen in Patrick Hughes' "The Expendables 3").  

I keep thinking of Peter Craig's novel where, surely, Link's story is better told. John Link is a former Hell's Angel, an ex-con, trying to stay clean and sober while running a tattoo parlor from the kitchen of his trailer home. Link was in fact in prison for 9 years. While Lydia hails from a relatively wealthy upbringing, her relationship with her mother leaves much to be desired. The teenager has had three stepfathers.

The movie is told in straight-forward fashion. It takes us to the dusty, craggy and scabrous communes of this desert community. Despite adequate screen time, Moriarty's character is poorly threshed out, thus she comes off a bit on the tepid side, barely convincing as a good-girl-gone-bad. But the motley crew of characters may suffice - there's an all too-eager AA sponsor (Macy), a white supremacist (Parks), a nasty cellmate, a cartel soldier called sicario (with unnerving tattoo inked all over his face) and an opportunist boyfriend (Luna) - each one navigating Link's netherworld with ulterior motives. 

The script doesn't hold much traction, but this is vintage Mel Gibson, the quintessential action hero we all root for. In "Blood Father", you can't miss his raw magnetism and the unmistakable hint of humor in his eyes. If this isn't obvious enough, this cinematic vehicle is a return to form.  

Erin Moriarty

Mel Gibson when the world was his oyster.

Edge of Darkness - Mel Gibson is Back!

Conspiracy, manufacture of nuclear weapons and government collusion take the spotlight in "Edge of Darkness", Mel Gibson's return to the big screen. After a 7 year absence, the iconic Australian star has finally made a comeback in Martin Campbell's action-drama! Though age is gradually catching up with my all-time favorite actor, his boyish charm is still undeniable!

When unidentified gunmen shoots his visiting daughter in front of their house, Detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) initially thought that they were after him. But as he unravels the evidence gathered, he learns of his daughter's unfortunate predicament. Soon, this takes him to the office of a senator!

Not my favorite Mel Gibson movie, but it is nevertheless entertaining, although to be honest, his heavily wrinkled face is starting to bother me. He was once a Greek God whose masculine beauty was second to none. These days, he is just a 54 year old handsome mortal! ;->

Who wouldn't ogle at a face like that?

Full steam ahead. He has 6 movies in various state of development. I am particularly looking forward to his team up with Leonardo DiCaprio and a dramedy called "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" about a criminal (Gibson) who is placed in a tough Mexican prison where he learns to survive with the help of a 9-year-old boy.

missing mel

"look at me. i am beautiful!"




my kulit brother was doing a marathon of lethal weapon films for the last 3 days or so, and i couldn't help but miss this australian dearie - mel gibson!


i just think that not a lot of actors possess his charisma on-screen and it is such a big waste that he spend most of his time off-screen these days, if at all! whatever happened to him! he is so blessed! yet we find him drunk and driving! spewing racial slurs! and all the things that a bad boy does. it really bothers me!

anyway, it's comforting to know that 3 films are in the works:

1. Martin Campbell's Edge of Darkness - A detective investigates the death of his daughter and, in the process, uncovers her secret life as well as a cover-up involving the corporate world and the government! Sounds interesting but haven't we had enough of good-cop-bad-cop dramas? Didn't Leonardo DiCaprio's "Body of Evidence" sink at the box office? (And oh, yes, I loved that DiCaprio movie! I'm just saying that it is doing bad business.) Campbell was responsible for the latest James Bond movie "Casino Royale" and Antonio Banderas' "The Legend of Zorro". He is also on production of "The Birds" - a remake of the 1963 Hitchcock masterpiece, which I can't wait to watch.

2. Under and Alone - The movie is set in Southern California where an ATF agent infiltrates the notorious Mongols motorcycle gang. Am not too crazy with bike flicks, but with Gibson in it, I will watch!

3. Sam and George - Here's the synopsis: Two old friends reunite after one of them (Gibson) is released from prison after serving twenty years for a crime he didn't commit. Gosh! These stories sound hackneyed and old! Oh well! Maybe it has a nicely written script!



Unfortunately for us, fans, Mel's comeback on-screen won't happen until mid-2009 or later. But then, good things come for those who wait!