[Blu-Ray Review] ‘Blood Father’: Now Available On Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD From Lionsgate

Blood Father [Blu-Ray]

Director: Jean-François Richet

Cast: Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna

Release Date: October 11, 2016

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9.5/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

Mel Gibson delivers nonstop, no-holds-barred action in this dynamic thrill ride. When his estranged teenaged daughter (Erin Moriarty) is targeted by a drug cartel, ex-convict John Link (Gibson) must call upon connections from his criminal past and his own lethal skills to save his daughter’s future. Diego Luna, Michael Parks, and William H. Macy costar in this explosive story of how far one man will go to save his family.

Living in a quiet and uneventful town following his release from prison, John Link (Gibson) is managing to remain sober and get by if nothing more, running a tattoo parlor via his trailer for income. But when his teenage daughter Lydia (Moriarty) who went missing years ago mysteriously calls in fear for her life and desperate for his help, John soon finds himself forgoing the quiet life he’d come to appreciate and heading out on the road with his troubled daughter as they are forced to try and discover a way to somehow undo this mess while also being relentlessly pursued by random guns and even a terrifying sicario hit man. Fortunately for the pair, this kind of bloody insanity is precisely what John does best and he soon finds himself quickly reverting to his many criminal talents in order to keep them alive, regardless of what it might cost him in the end.

Directed by Jean-François Richet (Assault on Precinct 13 remake) from a script written by Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton) and Peter Craig (The Town) and based upon Craig’s own novel of the same name, Richet does a magnificent job at the helm of ‘Blood Father’ delivering a mesmerizing film that oozes heart and beauty. The film also owes a large share of credit to the capable individuals who comprise the cast including Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon), Erin Moriarty (TV’s Jessica Jones), Diego Luna (Elysium), Michael Parks (Red State), William H. Macy (TV’s Shameless) and more, all of whom delivering notable performances in each of their respective roles, even if Gibson still manages to easily steal the show with a truly mesmerizing performance that’s easily one of his best in years.

‘Blood Father’ is a phenomenal piece of filmmaking. It’s an intense, violent and emotionally energetic action drama that pulls you in immediately and has no trouble holding your attention up until the powerful final minutes. Brimming with a care and passion we don’t see enough of in modern films and further complimented by the warm, dry and spacious scenery which offers a sort of mildly depressing beauty in itself that is nearly as crucial to the tone and story as the characters themselves and the journey they embark upon. Guided with passionate care by director Jean-François Richet and featuring an outstanding performance by Mel Gibson who is in top form here, never missing a beat and delivering one of his best performances in some time, and only further complimented by the talented supporting cast, ‘Blood Father’ truly is a magnificent film in every regard. Anyone who enjoys an emotionally riveting suspense drama that is beautifully crafted and executed, as well as any fan of Gibson’s work will definitely want to make sure to check this one out when you have the opportunity to do so; chances are you’ll be thoroughly impressed with this remarkable film.

Overall, ‘Blood Father’ is a fantastic film that offers an intense, gorgeous and emotionally riveting ride from start to finish, always maintaining an undeniable sense of realism and heart throughout. Beautifully guided by director Jean-François Richet and featuring an outstanding performance from Mel Gibson along with notable performances from the talented supporting cast, ‘Blood Father’ easily earns my highest recommendation; it’s one of the best films I’ve had the privilege of experiencing so far this year and is not to be missed.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Blood Father’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.39:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty great as a whole and provides a consistently sharp and detailed presentation throughout with no noticeable faults to speak of. It holds up admirably even during the darkly lit and/or fast moving sequences and never results in anything occurring on screen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a fantastic high definition video presentation that should easily please the masses.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless multichannel soundtrack delivers a crisp, clean and occasionally quite hard hitting soundtrack from start to finish. Utilizing all five available channels fairly often in order to send bullets, debris and more whipping throughout the various speakers during the action sequences, along with nature elements, the occasional instance of crowd chatter and more, and never causing any dialogue which may be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers in every way required of it and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Blood Father’ includes a single extra, a Behind the Scenes Featurette: ‘Lost Souls: On the Road with Blood Father’ (running approximately 28 minutes in length) which features a behind the scenes look at the film including interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus more.