I have been waiting for a taut R-rated action movie and we do not get many movies with carnage and bloody action violence with an action star nowadays. When I heard Mel Gibson was coming back to act in a movie, I thought, well, I have to put my notions on how I feel about his personal antics aside because the guy can act. For example, if you remove him from Braveheart, Ransom or replace him with another actor in the Lethal Weapon series, the charm and conviction would be missing. Now, this is a movie that came out of the blue this year and I have to say for a B-action film, this is a pretty solid action film.
Lydia (Erin Moriarty) is on the run after she commits an error by accidentally shooting Jonah (Diego Luna), her boyfriend, on the neck during a raid because the tenants supposedly have stole the drug cartel's money. Many miles away is Lydia's father, John (Mel Gibson), who is an ex-con and a recent parolee. He is a tattoo artist living in his trailer living in a neighborhood full of people who have some arms experience including his sponsor and best friend, Kirby (William H. Macy). Later, he gets a call from Lydia on the other end asking for money and help. He picks her up in Santa Monica.
John takes Lydia to her place and that night, some gang members come up to his place threatening them and shooting at the trailer. John humorously starts talking that this event is not going look good to his parole officer. When the shooting is over, the leader rams his SUV onto John's trailer causing it to flip over. Kirby and many of the residents come to the rescue with their handguns persuading the drug dealers to leave. John and Lydia manage to get out and leave against Kirby's wishes. Furious, John asks Lydia who his boyfriend is and what caused her to "kill" him so after finding out who he is, it is going to be a wild goose chase.
Like I said in the beginning of the review, it is a B-movie with an action star at the helm and as far action movies go, this movie deserved to be released in more theaters because this is a hell of a good movie. It is not an original movie in terms of the story with a father helping his child out on the run from some gangsters. It's about the desert and bloodier version of Road to Perdition and Run All Night. They are better movies but this movie has a gritty tone as if this movie is more frenetic than the two movies I have mentioned. The movie keeps on going with the plot and never goes back.
I am going to keep my issues against Gibson as a person aside but Gibson as an actor is what sells this movie. Where has he been? He is committed with his grungy facade, a past full of mistakes and guilt and a sharp, mad temper. He captures that character real well. I found Moriarty a little whiny as she recites lines as she has just memorized it at times but she and Gibson were a good father-daughter match. Diego Luna in a few scenes is quietly menacing in a gaunt state and William H. Macy and Michael Parks has nice supporting roles.
This is a competently made film with some fantastic camera shots especially in the two action sequences involving a motorcycle shootout and the last shootout capturing the tough conditions in an isolated place and isolation and maybe redemption are the themes to describe this film because they gangsters and the ex-con and the potential con are isolated from society to get business over with. They have a flawed world behind them and potentially ahead of them. I cannot describe the scene regarding redemption because it is a spoiler. But, in the end, I was happy to see a solid, 90-minute action film that is violent and gritty that showcases Mel Gibson as not just a good action star but a good actor.
I believe it is on digital and VOD now and it will come out on Blu-ray/DVD on October.
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