LOS ANGELES, July 8 — Mel Gibson is certainly a parent you don’t want to mess with in this new trailer for Blood Father.

In this action thriller, Gibson stars as John Link, an ex-convict who runs a tattoo parlour from his wilderness trailer until his estranged daughter (Erin Moriarty) shows up wanting him to protect her from violent drug dealers.

The synopsis of the film reads: "After her drug kingpin boyfriend frames her for stealing a fortune in cartel cash, 18-year-old Lydia goes on the run, with only one ally in this whole wide world: Her perennial screw-up of a dad, John Link, who’s been a drunk, a drug addict, a motorcycle outlaw, and a convict in his time, and now is determined to keep his little girl from harm and, for once in his life, do the right thing…”

The film also stars William H. Macy, Elisabeth Röhm, Michael Parks and Diego Luna.

Blood Father is set for release in the US on August 12.