Movie Breakdown: Let Him Go

Pre-Screening Stance:

The trailer for Let Him Go makes the movie look like it might be a Taken-esque type affair for both Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. I can get behind that.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Let Him Go is not at all what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to follow a pissed off meemaw and peepaw on a do-or-die mission to reclaim their grandchild from some low-lives, but it’s way more of a dramatic slow burn. George (Kevin Costner) and Margaret (Diane Lane) aren’t vengeful people with “a very particular set of skills,” they’re just parents still reeling from the sudden death of their son. So, when their former daughter in law and their grandson suddenly pack up and leave town, they don’t have it in them to let the final connection to their son just simply vanish. Now, the pair do wind up in the grasp of a dangerous family named the Weboys, which does lead to some very intense, violent moments, but I found these parts to be well placed and fairly brief. Again, this is not an action film – it’s far more interested in showing you stunning Midwestern landscapes and pitting the ideals of a pure, well-intentioned family against those of a group that uses fear to rule everything and everyone around them.

Costner and Lane are great in Let Him Go, and the movie has a surprising amount of heft to it. I do think it could have been a little shorter (it’s nearly two hours), but it doesn’t necessarily drag as much as it just lets itself cook a little too long. It’s worth your time.

One Last Thought:

Jeffrey Donovan is wildly good at generating a special, completely insane twinkle in his eye. I suppose his role is just the right size here, but I wouldn’t have been put off by him being the central villain.