Let Him Go

Based on a book by Larry Watson, Let Him Go follows retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) as he and his wife (Diane Lane’s Margaret) set out to rescue their grandson from a violent off-the-grid clan (led by Lesley Manville’s Blanche Weboy). Filmmaker Thomas Bezucha, working from his own screenplay, delivers an exceedingly (and sometimes excessively) deliberate drama that does, at the outset, benefit substantially from Costner and Lane’s typically strong, commanding work, and it’s clear, too, that Bezucha does an effective job of cultivating an authentic 1950s atmosphere and enhances it by emphasizing, along with cinematographer Guy Godfree, some impressively sweeping visuals. And although Bezucha occasionally pushes the slow-burn aesthetic to its breaking point, Let Him Go progresses into an increasingly compelling midsection that’s been spiked with a handful of admittedly captivating sequences – including a tense encounter with Blanche’s seemingly helpful nephew (Jeffrey Donovan’s Bill) and an awkward dinner that grows more and more contentious. By the time the gripping and completely satisfying climax rolls around, Let Him Go has cemented its place as an erratic yet rewarding endeavor that ultimately fares better than one might’ve initially expected.

*** out of ****