Let Him Go

Starring: Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Kayli Carter, Ryan Bruce, Lesley Manville, Jeffrey Donovan, Will Brittain, Booboo Stewart
Directed by: Thomas Bezucha
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Thriller
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A retired couple (Diane Lane, Kevin Costner) search for their daughter-in-law (Kayli Carter) who unexpectedly moves away with their grandson.

Review:

Tim: I was fairly excited for Let Him Go. Diane Lane and Kevin Costner have some history of working together and I was really looking forward to seeing them collaborate on this drama. It looked like a really effective movie. However, Thomas Bezucha's was surprisingly bleak and unsatisfying. There's some definite strengths, but the film as a whole left a lot to be desired. This might be a decent movie, but it's not as good as expected.

The premise is a bit bleak, but effective. After their son dies, a retired couple are disturbed to see their daughter-in-law remarry. Her new husband is a hard man, potentially abusive. The couple fear for the safety of their grandson. They embark on a journey to track him down. On paper, this seems like a truly worthwhile journey. It has all the right elements- an underdog story of a retired couple going against a powerful, violent family. A child in danger. It should have been a slam dunk. However, Bezucha's film doesn't quite capture the opportunities the film had.

I really enjoyed Kevin Costner and Diane Lane's performances. They both give authentic, emotional performances. Their characters are different, but you end up feeling a connection with them both. Lane's character did get a bit annoying as the film went on, but it was more the writing than something Lane did. I felt disappointed that the movie's story and direction wasn't quite as strong as the performances of Costner and Lane. Jeffrey Donovan was chilling and memorable in his role, too. I recently watched him in Honest Thief, where he was very likable, so it was entertaining to see such a different performance from him here. You really dislike his character, which is a testament to his performance. You can say the same thing about Lesley Manville- she's incredible in a role that just makes you hate her. This film does deliver a number of scenes that just make your blood boil.

My biggest problem with this film is how the story is presented. I sort of appreciate how the story defied our expectations, but the presentation blunted its effectiveness. This is a harsh story and it's not a lot of fun to watch. I expected that the film's climax would deliver, proving that the brutal journey was worth the effort. A lot of the movie (which is a bit too long at 1 hour, 53 minutes) you just kind of endure. This would be okay, if the conclusion was more satisfying and made the journey feel worth it. That doesn't quite happen. The climax is interesting and a bit surprising, but it doesn't redeem the rest of the movie. You see a lot of bad things happen and that would be okay if it felt like it was building towards some kind of redemption. The story almost gets there, but not quite. That's really what pushed this film away from "good" and into "decent" territory. As much as I wanted to like this movie, I never really did. By the time the film ended, I mostly just felt thankful. The movie is never bad (not even close), but it exists in this somewhat unenjoyable, somewhat entertaining band.

Let Him Go is definitely a disappointment for me. I liked the cast and I appreciated the film's desire to not pander to the audience. However, I didn't have a lot of fun with the film. It felt like something to endure, verses something to enjoy. It's a fine movie, perfectly decent. I just believe the elements were in place for something much better.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Family Stone, Ransom