Let Him Go

We get to see Superman’s parents from Man of Steel teamed up again. Diane Lane and Kevin Costner have locked in mature & sexy, both singularly and together. They’ve aged so gracefully and continue to be actors that can immediately pull you into a story.

This story, written and directed by Thomas Bezucha (I looked at his IMDB and have never seen any of his other films) Adapted from a Larry Watson novel of the same name, is a Western, family drama, which heads into pulp/thriller territory.  Margaret (Lane) and George (Costner)  Blackledge own a horse farm. She breaks horses with their son James (Ryan Bruce) and George is a retired lawman.  James is married to an insipid, plain faced girl, Lorna (Kayli Carter).  She seems below their station. He could have done much better.  You don’t get a back story, but in my head, I picture James gallantly stepped in while she was being harassed by some local boys and they got to talkin, he finds out she’s alone in the world and feels immediately protective. Next thing you know, she’s pregnant and of course he does the right thing and marries her.  The parents don’t dislike Lorna, and raised their son to do the honorable thing, but you know they pictured him with a lovelier, brighter girl. At any rate, they are a family of 5, with little baby James, Jr. all living on the farm in relative harmony, until tragedy strikes, and James Sr. is killed.

A little time goes by and Lorna ups and marries a new guy in town Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain). You get the impression that Lorna wants space from the under current of disapproval she feels from Margaret (especially) & George, both of her and her abilities as a mother. Of course, Lorna’s now former in-laws have no choice but to bless this new union, and hope they still get to see their grandson as often as possible.  Well, no chance of that, cause Donnie whisks Lorna and little Jimmy off to parts unknown, without a word to Margaret and George, but not before Margaret in town on errands, witnesses Donnie abusing both Lorna and little Jimmy.

Now comes the Western part as Margaret convinces her husband to drop everything and travel from Montana to North Dakota in search of their grandson who she fears is not safe in the care of Donnie. He knows she’s determined enough to go without him so, with little time wasted, off they go. The open sky and prairie cinematography are beautiful, this is when you miss seeing things on the big screen.  As the movie slides from uneasy foreshadowing into outright thriller, you’re glued, but at the same time, what they encounter seems a bit over-the-top without enough provocation, but then again, North Dakota is MAGA Country so…

T&T @largeassmovieblogs  rating: 3.5 outta 5