‘Blood Father’ Trailer: Mel Gibson Is Tatted Up and Ready to Shoot All the Bad Guys

Blood Father is not a very good movie title, but there could be something to this new thriller starring Mel Gibson as a tattoo artist / biker badass / former convict / loving father. The first trailer offers a narrative familiar to anyone who’s seen a Liam Neeson action flick (and its many imitators), but Gibson’s wacky character description combined with a few shots seemingly lifted from Mad Max: Fury Road make Blood Father seem a bit more interesting than your average Red Box rental.

Blood Father’s basic plot sounds like one of those generic action thrillers starring Nicolas Cage or John Travolta and some questionable hair. Replace said hair with Mel Gibson sporting a grizzled-as-hell beard, and Blood Father is already an upgrade. Gibson plays a tattoo artist and former convict who hasn’t been the best dad to his daughter, but when she’s framed by some thugs, he proves his worth by using his particular set of criminal skills to protect her like any good father would.

What apparently sets Blood Father apart — aside from the appeal of watching a tatted-up, trailer-park-dwelling Gibson go HAM on some bad dudes — is some of the shots, which appear to be either lifted from or paying homage to The Road Warrior and Fury Road. Given Gibson’s involvement, you have to assume the latter. The shot of him fleeing on his bike in the orange-tinged desert, or standing near a muscle car with his back to the camera, or dropping to his knees with his hands above his head — those all look quite familiar, right? Replace Gibson with someone else, and maybe the similarity would be lost, but with the vivid orange and blue desert palette, it seems quite obvious.

One more thing: Gibson plays a guy named John Link. This movie definitely has some specific ideas in mind.

Blood Father also stars William H. Macy, Diego Luna and Erin Moriarty, and hits Australian theaters on August 25. A U.S. release has yet to be announced, but we’ll probably see this one before the end of the year.