December
18
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Let Him Go (15)
Let Him Go (15)
Director: Thomas Bezucha
Runtime: 114 minutes
Cast: Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Lesley Manville, Jeffrey Donovan, Kayli Carter, Booboo Stewart, Will Brittain
Synopsis: Following the loss of their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge and his wife Margaret leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of a dangerous family living off the grid in the Dakotas, headed by matriarch Blanche Weboy. When they discover the Weboys have no intention of letting the child go, George and Margaret are left with no choice but to fight for their family.
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa5T0WctQkw
Director Thomas Bezucha [writer/director Big Eden (2000), The Family Stone (2005), Monte Carlo (2011), and also co-writer of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) and The Good House (TBA)] has adapted the 2013 American neo-Western drama novel of the same name by Larry Watson.
Let Him Go is a western-gothic crime thriller set in the mid-1860s with a North Western setting and some resemblance to vintage classics like John Ford’s The Searchers (1956).
Retired Montana Sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) search for their grandson Jimmy (Bram Hornung and Otto Hornung) after the tragic accidental death of their son James (Ryan Bruce) three years earlier. Former daughter-in-law Lorna (Kavli Carter) has left abruptly with new husband Donny Weboy (Will Britain), and grandson, re-locating under duress to North Dakota and his family – which turns out to be ‘Weboy territory’, where matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville) wields absolute power.
The film benefits from the contributions of a solid veteran cast, with particularly strong performances from Diane Lane as a grieving yet resolute mother and from an outstanding Lesley Manville as her relentless, ruthless nemesis.
Booboo Stewart as Peter Dragswolf – a Native American who becomes an ally to the Blackledges in the fight against the despicable Weboys – gives a nuanced performance in limited screentime.
Let Him Go is much more than the genre it represents, with amazing cinematography from Guy Godfree aided by an atmospheric score by Michael Giacchino, particularly in the very intense, perilous scenes in in the final act of the drama.
In selected cinemas and streaming digitally
Images courtesy of Focus Features
