Costner stars in riveting drama

VETERAN ACTORS: STARRING KEVIN COSTNER AND DIANE LANE

Full of tension and emotion, the film culminates explosively.

After a lengthy screen absence, evergreen Hollywood star Kevin Costner joins forces with another veteran, Diane Lane, in this engrossing family drama set in 1963. They both still look good and managed to pack a punch.

Thomas Bezucha produced, wrote and directed the movie which is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Larry Watson. Retired sheriff, George Blackledge (Costner), and wife Margaret (Lane), see their lives change dramatically when their only son, James, dies in a riding accident on their Montana ranch. He leaves a widow, Lorna (Kayli Carter), and a son, Jimmy.

Three years later, Lorna marries the rough, immature Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain), the youngest member of a vicious North Dakota clan.

One day in town, when Margaret observes Donnie physically abusing both Lorna and Jimmy, alarm bells begin to ring. Donnie then leaves town unexpectedly with Lorna and Jimmy, causing Margaret to worry about Jimmy’s safety. She eventually convinces George the situation is dire enough to intervene, and the two set off to find the family.

The Weboy family of men are notorious in the area, ruled with an iron fist by their foulmouthed mother, Blanche (Lesley Manville), an intimidating and disturbing presence, and she’s not about to give Jimmy and Lorna up without a fight.

Let Him Go is an uneven blend of adult drama and revenge thriller and is held tightly together by the commanding presence of these two screen icons. English actress Lesley Manville, saddled with an ill-fitting blonde wig and a thick Southern accent, is chilling as Blanche and their initial encounter with the Blackledge couple over a family dinner (serving burnt pork chops) is punctuated with menace.

The movie is laced with tension and emotion and hits the mark, even though it takes time to settle into a rhythm which culminates in an explosive denouement.