LET HIM GO DVD (2020)




SYNOPSIS: Following the loss of their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge (KEVIN COSTNER) and his wife Margaret (DIANE LANE) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from a dangerous family living off the grid. They soon discover that the Weboy family has no intention of letting the child go, forcing George and Margaret to fight for their family.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Most of the time, Hollywood doesn’t know what to do with their aged stars. Either they are blatantly forgotten or they appear now and then in a handful of movies playing supporting roles. In comes director Thomas Bezucha and his adapted screenplay for Let Him Go which results in one of the best decisions in recent years, the pair up of Kevin Costner and Diane Lane again in the leading roles as George and Margaret Blackledge.

George and Margaret is a loving couple who lost their son due to a horse riding incident. Years later, their son’s widow, Lorna (Kayli Carter) married a man named Donnie Weboy and took their grandson, Jimmy with her. In an attempt to reconnect with Jimmy, the Blackledge decide to drive cross country to North Dakota to look for Lorna and Donnie. But instead of a warm welcome, the couple is threatened by the Weboy’s matriarch, Blanche (Lesley Manville) and her clan of evil-doers including her sons and Donnie’s uncle, Bill (Jeffrey Donovan).

Let Him Go is a mature revenge drama in short. Bezucha prefers to rely on quiet conversations and stunning landscape shots to do the job instead of bombastic action sequences. The characterisation of George and Margaret is compelling and genuine enough to make you care for them and their objective. Margaret being the doting grandmother whose only goal is to get back her grandson while George, the retired sheriff provides the emotional support and later on, a bodyguard to shield Margaret from all the nasty mayhem.

Because Costner and Lane has so much chemistry playing Superman’s earth parents in Man of Steel, the veteran couple delivers yet another awesome performance and screen presence here despite the movie being far too long and monotonous at some points. There’s a brief detour where they met a young native American, Peter (Booboo Stewart) and that is probably a subtle reference to the mistreatment of natives. It’s only when the appearance of Blanche that the story starts its momentum. Lesley Manville for a start puts in a menacing front telling old family stories over a pork chop dinner although there’s isn’t much of an elaboration of why the family choses to live off-grid and generate so much animosity that even the local police are scared of the Weboy.

Aside from the daytime soap opera antics, Let Him Go is a solid drama between the good and evil. It’s like an old-fashioned western in which Costner is also known for, character-driven and beautifully photographed. Adults looking for movies without overblown visual effects should also consider this outing.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The cast and crew talks about the story and 1960s setting in The Making of Let Him Go.

The brief 4 minutes featurette delves into the chemistry between the two actors in The Blackledges: Kevin Costner & Diane Lane.

The director talks about the source novel in which this movie is based on in Lighting the Way: Thomas Bezucha.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

In an era where DVD is almost an relic, Let Him Go looks fine and good for what it is. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack boasts clear dialogue, excellent ambient sound effects and occasional dramatic outbursts. Other than that, this is mostly a talky drama so if your soundbar tends to quiet down, it’s not the machine’s fault. 

MOVIE RATING:

 

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee



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 ABOUT THE MOVIE

Genre: Drama
Starring: Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Lesley Manville, Jeffrey Donovan, Kayli Carter, Will Brittain, Booboo Stewart
Director: Thomas Bezucha
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Year Made: 2020
Official Website: 
https://www.facebook.com/lethimgomovie

 SPECIAL FEATURES

- The Making of Let Him Go
- The Blackledges: Kevin Costner & Diane Lane
- Lighting the Way: Thomas Bezucha

 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Languages: English, Brazilian Portuguese and Latin American Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH, Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese, Complex Mandarin, Indonesian, Korean, Latin American Spanish and Thai
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time: 1 hr 54 mins
Region Code: 3