Blind Fury: Anyone else think Billy's Dad was kinda shady?

Okay, so I've seen Blind Fury a lot. Like, unhealthy amount probably LOL. But every time I watch it, I get this weird feeling about Frank, Billy's dad. Hear me out. He's supposedly this chemist, right? Working on... stuff. But the way he acts when they finally meet up feels SO forced. Like he's trying to SELL being happy to see his kid. My theory? He KNEW what the bad guys were up to, way more than he let on. Maybe not the kidnapping specifically, but he was deep in some dirty work and totally played up the 'innocent victim' card. Remember when he's being forced to cook up the drugs? He seems almost... accepting of it? Like he's done it before maybe? Or at least anticipated that something like that was comin... I don't know, something feels off. And another thing - the henchmen seem WAY too keen not to hurt the kid, as if they have specific instructions. Does Frank maybe have some leverage with the villains? It's just a thought -- but the way he smiles as he is dying seems way too calm. I dunno, maybe I'm reading too much into Charles Cooper's acting, but I'm putting this theory out there. Anyone else ever get that vibe from Frank or am I on my own here? Could be the 80s cheese is clouding my judgement :)