Watch: Mel Gibson Plays Bearded Ex-Con Fighting to Save His Daughter in ‘Blood Father’ Thriller

A trailer for Mel Gibson’s R-rated thriller Blood Father has finally been released.

The film — from acclaimed French director Jean-François Richet — is based on a novel by Peter Craig, and appears to show Gibson returning to his action roots.

Gibson stars as disheveled tattoo artist and ex-con John Link, who reunites with his missing 16-year old daughter to protect her from some pretty nasty drug dealers.

In the trailer, he is running a tattoo parlor out of a trailer when he gets a call from the estranged teen. What follows is a sequence of shootouts, chases, and other confrontations that allude to a violent past that Link is willing to use again to protect his unruly daughter.

Blood Father also stars William H. Macy and Elisabeth Röhm.

The film is expected to debut in the U.S. on August 25.