Let Him Go (2020)

Let Him Go (2020)

6/10

Starring

Diane Lane

Kevin Costner

Lesley Manville

Directed by Thomas Bezucha

Let Him Go is a tragedy that doesn’t spare any souls. This western drama starts off strong with a captivating opening, but it dives into a prolonged and somewhat lackluster portrayal of the struggle to save someone from an abusive relationship. While the theme is important, the movie’s execution feels dull at times. The ending, though surprising, still feels like the only logical path the story could take.

The movie is based on Larry Watson’s 2013 western drama novel of the same name.

Set in the 1960s, the story begins with the introduction of the Blackledge family: Grandpa George (Kevin Costner), Grandma Margaret (Diane Lane), their son James, his wife Lorna, and their young son Jimmy. In a matter of minutes, we see James’s tragic death, Lorna becoming a widow, and then, three years later, remarrying a man named Donnie Weboy.

George and Margaret are not fond of Donnie, but Lorna has her own life to live. Soon, however, Margaret witnesses Donnie abusing both Jimmy and Lorna on the street. Unable to ignore what she’s seen, she tries to visit them, only to discover that they’ve left town without leaving a word about their whereabouts.

Determined to find her grandson, Margaret convinces George to accompany her on a search for Jimmy and Lorna. They use George’s connections as a retired sheriff to help track down Donnie and his family.

This is where the movie begins to lose its momentum, dragging into a slow and uneven pace. The excitement set up in the beginning, with Margaret refusing to let Donnie’s behavior slide, gets bogged down by the unnecessary and exaggerated portrayal of the Weboy family as irredeemable villains. Perhaps this stems from the book or the screenplay adaptation, but it feels overdone and tedious. Along the way, they also meet a young man trying to stay under the radar, but even this encounter is stretched out longer than needed.

When we finally meet the Weboy family, the movie paints them as people deeply entrenched in a warped ideology, struggling to distinguish right from wrong. They come across as a clan that’s beyond redemption, almost caricature-like in their moral failings.

The ending takes a tragic turn, bringing the story to its inevitable conclusion. While the finale is emotional, the pacing issues in the middle of the movie weigh it down. Overall, I’d rate Let Him Go a six out of ten. It’s worth a watch, but keep a remote handy to skip over the slower bits—unfortunately, those dull moments are scattered throughout the midpoint of the film.