Hunting Season Review: Mel Gibson Almost Saves a By-the-Numbers Thriller

Here is where I admit something upfront: when Mel Gibson shows up in a movie these days, I usually assume it is another VOD quickie where he is top-billed but barely in it. So yes, I almost missed Hunting Season because I figured it was more of the same. Joke is on me — he is actually the lead this time. That does not automatically make the movie good, but it changes the expectation game.

The setup

Gibson plays Bo, a grizzled, off-the-grid survivalist raising his teenage daughter, Tag (Sofia Hublitz). They find a young woman, January (Shelley Hennig), shot and barely alive, and take her in — only to realize she is being hunted by a ruthless gangster (Jordi Molla) and his goons. It is meant to have a dusty, quasi-western vibe, and Tag even points out that Bo was named after a Louis L'Amour character. On paper, great. In practice, the mood never fully lands.

Gibson: still a proper lead

As a director, Gibson is still a force (and yes, we can quietly set Flight Risk off to the side). As an actor, he has been stuck in those low-budget, assembly-line thrillers that people call 'geezer teasers.' The difference here is he is actually front and center, and that matters. He has the big beard, the gravitas, the world-weary swagger — and he does not phone it in. Making it a father/daughter story was smart too. Bo has a shady past, sure, but he is not the stock overprotective dad. He raises Tag to be self-sufficient, buys her a handgun for her birthday, and treats her like a capable partner rather than a liability. It is one of the few parts of the movie that feels specific and alive.

'It takes about 70 of the 90 minutes for this thing to finally wake up.'

Where it stumbles

The problem is everything around Gibson. This has the same rushed, pre-to-post feel that has dragged down a lot of his recent VOD outings. Director R.J. Collins does what he can, but you can feel the corners being cut. The first hour leans hard on flat domestic drama and hand-wringing over January that never quite sells why Bo is so invested. By the time the action finally hits, there is not much atmosphere left — and the villain does not help. Jordi Molla goes so big with the talky psycho routine that he lands closer to caricature than menace.

When it finally clicks

When the bad guys actually force Bo’s hand, the movie wakes up and gets fun in flashes. There is a standout bit where Gibson takes out a gunman with a lawnmower that is exactly the sort of gnarly, inventive beat this thing needed more of. Moments like that remind you why a Gibson-led actioner can still work when the material gives him something to chew on. For what it is worth, if you are curious, his late-era keepers are still Blood Father and Get the Gringo — proof the formula can sing with the right backing.

• Cast and crew: Mel Gibson (Bo), Sofia Hublitz (Tag), Shelley Hennig (January), Jordi Molla (the gangster); directed by R.J. Collins
• Vibe: survival-thriller with a western tint that never fully takes
• Runtime: 90 minutes, with the good stuff arriving around the 70-minute mark
• What works: Gibson’s full-tilt lead turn; the father/daughter dynamic; the lawnmower kill
• What drags: rushed production feel; too much inert domestic drama; thin atmosphere; a villain who monologues more than menaces
• Context: Gibson often gets slotted into low-rent thrillers, but when he is actually the lead, there are sparks — just not enough here

The verdict

If Gibson were not starring, this would slide straight into the forget-it pile. With him, it is watchable and occasionally lively — just frustratingly late to its own party. He still has the goods; the movie does not give him enough places to use them. Below average: 5/10. And yes, the lawnmower scene almost earns the rental by itself. Almost.