Let Him Go

Let Him Go is a crime drama and western set in the early 1950s. George Blackledge, a retired sheriff, and his wife Margaret live quietly on their Montana ranch after the death of their son. Their remaining tie to him is their young grandson, Jimmy, who has been taken to the Dakotas by their widowed daughter-in-law, Lorna, after she remarries into the Weboy family. That family, led by its matriarch Blanche Weboy, lives outside ordinary society and has no intention of giving the boy up. When George and Margaret travel east to bring their grandson home, they find themselves facing people who will not let the child go, and the couple must decide how far they are prepared to go for their family.

The film was directed by Thomas Bezucha, who also wrote the screenplay and produced it with Paula Mazur and Mitchell Kaplan. It is his third feature, following The Family Stone in 2005 and Monte Carlo in 2011. Diane Lane and Kevin Costner play Margaret and George, with Kayli Carter as Lorna, Lesley Manville as Blanche, Will Brittain as Donnie Weboy and Jeffrey Donovan as Bill Weboy, among a credited cast of thirty.

Released in November 2020, the film runs 114 minutes and was made for a budget of 21 million dollars, against a worldwide box office of about 11 million. Its ratings are close across audiences and critics alike: 6.7 out of 10 on IMDb from roughly 39,000 votes, 6.8 out of 10 on TMDB, and 7 out of 10 from 198 critics' reviews.