Montana, 1961. Retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner ), his wife Margaret (Diane Lane), their son James (Ryan Bruce) and his wife Lorna (Kayli Carter) are happily living together on their ranch and welcoming the arrival of a new generation to the family, baby Jimmy. Tragedy strikes in the form of James being thrown from his horse and years later Lorna marries Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain) who promptly whisks them away. George and Margaret set out to find their grandson. 

Let Him Go is a western. Its slow and considered pacing focuses on building the relationship between George and Margaret before switching to building the terror of the fearful Weboy family that their grandson now belongs to and then delivering the showdown that every western deserves. All of which is set to a classic score from Michael Giacchino. 

It works thanks to three fantastic performances. During the Blackledge’s road trip from Montana to North Dakota we get to see Kevin Costner and Diane Lane continue the wonderful chemistry that they had in Man Of Steel. Just like the Kent’s their marriage has withstood pain and also had wonderful highs. The depth of feeling between them is vast. Costner is sublime as ever in a western as the stoic and moral George. Lane however is the emotional heart trying to hold on to what is left of her son. The third performance comes later and has far less screen time to make an impact, but boy does it slam into the foundation of the story. Lesley Manville appears as the matriarch of the shadowy Weboy family and creates the fearful villain that makes the Blackledge’s situation seem impossible. 

Let Him Go is based on the 2013 novel by Larry Watson and the film was written and directed by Thomas Bezucha. If you are a fan of westerns in any way I would highly recommend it.