# Blood Father
**Blood Father** is a 2016 action thriller directed by Jean-François Richet, starring [Mel Gibson](https://www.edgepedia.org/mel-gibson) as John Link, an ex-convict and former motorcycle outlaw who protects his estranged teenage daughter Lydia ([Erin Moriarty](https://www.edgepedia.org/erin-moriarty-actress)) after her drug kingpin boyfriend frames her for stealing a fortune in cartel cash.[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) The film is based on [Peter Craig](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-craig)'s novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by Craig and Andrea Berloff.[2](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/blood-father-252069-1423045/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Jean-François Richet[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) |
| Cast | Mel Gibson (John Link), Erin Moriarty (Lydia), Diego Luna (Jonah), William H. Macy (Kirby Curtis), Michael Parks (Preacher)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father) |
| Source | Novel by Peter Craig; screenplay by Peter Craig and Andrea Berloff[2](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/blood-father-252069-1423045/) |
| Runtime and rating | 88 minutes; rated R (language throughout, brief drug use, strong violence)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father) |
| Festival | Cannes Film Festival 2016, Out of Competition, Midnight Screenings[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) |
| US release | August 12, 2016 (limited theatrical); streaming October 11, 2016; distributed by Lionsgate Premiere[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father) |
| Production | Why Not Productions and Wild Bunch (France)[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) |
| Reception | 89% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (99 reviews); Metascore 66 on Metacritic (18 reviews)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
After her drug kingpin boyfriend Jonah frames her for stealing a fortune in cartel cash, Lydia goes on the run with one ally: her father John Link, who has been a drunk, a drug addict, a motorcycle outlaw, and a convict, and is now determined to keep his daughter from harm.[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/) The two go on the run from Jonah and his vicious cartel, with Link using the connections and skills of his criminal past to keep them both alive.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father) • [5](https://watch.afi.com/movie/blood-father)
The synopsis sources disagree on Lydia's age: the Cannes Festival page and Metacritic describe her as 17, while Cineuropa and other synopses describe her as 16.[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/) • [6](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/307847/)
## Production and release
The film was produced by the French companies Why Not Productions and Wild Bunch, with Pascal Caucheteux among the producers.[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father) The Cannes Festival page lists the year of production as 2015 and the country as France; the [American Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-film-institute) lists the country as United States, France.[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) • [5](https://watch.afi.com/movie/blood-father) Robert Gantz was the cinematographer, Sven Faulconer composed the music, and Steven Rosenblum handled editing.[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/)
In an interview in the film's [French press](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-press) kit, Richet called Blood Father his eighth film and his return to shooting in the United States ten years after *[Assault on Precinct 13](https://www.edgepedia.org/assault-on-precinct-13-2005-film)* (2005). He noted that, unlike his earlier films about confrontations between law and illegality, in this film everyone belongs to the underworld: bikers, alcoholics, drug addicts, dealers, criminals, cartels, prisoners, neo-Nazis, and undocumented immigrants.[7](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/247/118/161527/presse/blood-father-presskit-french.pdf)
Blood Father premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight Screenings section, out of competition.[1](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/) • [6](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/307847/) It opened in limited theatrical release in the United States on August 12, 2016, through Lionsgate Premiere, and became available for streaming on October 11, 2016.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 89% Tomatometer from 99 reviews, with the critics consensus stating that the film "meets every expectation a film fan could have for a latter-day Mel Gibson action thriller with its title" and in some respects exceeds them; the audience Popcornmeter stands at 63% from more than 10,000 ratings.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father) On Metacritic it has a Metascore of 66 (generally favorable) based on 18 critic reviews, with 11 positive and 7 mixed and none negative, and a user score of 6.6.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/)
**Critical response.** Reviewers concentrated on Gibson's performance. The Guardian called the film "stellar" as a comeback project and praised Richet for delivering "a muscular and deliriously entertaining B-movie".[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/critic-reviews/) The New York Times described Gibson as "a persuasive derelict John Wayne" with "finely tuned comic timing".[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/critic-reviews/) Variety wrote that the film "captures what an accomplished and winning actor Mel Gibson can be", while [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) called it "a serviceable piece of B-movie entertainment without an ounce of originality".[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/) The Film Stage described it as a grindhouse throwback with a screenplay "better than it has any right to be".[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/critic-reviews/) ScreenHub noted that the film "revels in the obvious, unfortunate baggage of its star" and judged it blunt, brutal, and mostly efficient.[2](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/blood-father-252069-1423045/)
## References
1. [Blood Father, Festival de Cannes](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/blood-father/)
2. [Blood Father review, ScreenHub](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/blood-father-252069-1423045/)
3. [Blood Father, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_father)
4. [Blood Father Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/)
5. [Blood Father, American Film Institute](https://watch.afi.com/movie/blood-father)
6. [Blood Father, Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/307847/)
7. [Blood Father press kit (French), UniFrance](https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/247/118/161527/presse/blood-father-presskit-french.pdf)
8. [Blood Father critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-father/critic-reviews/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2015–2019 films › Thriller and mystery films › Titles symbols to E*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license