The current health crisis has dealt a heavy blow to the film industry in 2020, but that’s not to say we’ve been entirely without movies since March rolled around. Plenty of cinematic content have transitioned to being VOD or streaming offerings, and there are enough theaters still open that some movies are getting to play on the big screen. Soon the Kevin Costner and Diane Lane-led Let Him Go with be among that group, but reviews for that film are already flowing in.
For those who haven’t heard about Let Him Go, it follows a retired sheriff and his wife, after grieving the death of their son, setting out to find their daughter-in-law and only grandson. So how is Let Him Go being received? So far, it’s received a decent amount of positive reception, though it won’t necessarily go down in the film history books as an exceptional feature.
Starting off, CinemaBlend’s own Mike Reyes awarded Let Him Go an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars in his review, calling it “one of the standout films of 2020” and a great re-teaming of Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, who previously worked together on 2013’s Man of Steel.
An absolutely stunning drama that harkens back to films of a bygone era, Let Him Go delivers a western noir masterpiece that grips the heart every step of the way.
Michael Phillips from Chicago Tribune was similarly impressed with Let Him Go, commending not just the performances, but also the production design and location work. However, Phillips noted that there are some anachronisms with the way its characters behave, and that older audiences were more likely to respond to the movie
What keeps the film on the rails, and pretty engaging, has a lot to do with the comforting presence of its stars.
Associated Press’ Jake Coyle fell into more mixed territory on Let Him Go, giving 2.5 out of 4 stars. Coyle liked with the performances Kevin Costner and Diane Lane gave, but the main conflict between their characters and a rival family is “managed awkwardly.”
What seems set up for a slow-burn showdown between rival grandmas dissipates in blunt shoot-outs that sidelines Lane's Margaret at just the wrong time.
John DeFore from The Hollywood Reporter wasn’t too keen on Let Him Go, calling it a “heartfelt, handsomely made but unconvincing tonal mash-up” that is interesting to watch in the first half, but trails off during the second half.
An increasingly rare opportunity to see A-listers tell a grown-up, unsensationalized story fades as quickly as the red stripe on the horizon at dawn.
Finally, Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson described Let Him Go as a “B-movie” that probably won’t score any awards buzz, but is nonetheless the kind of movie “perfectly appropriate for the current moment” and worth watching, if not necessarily in a theater right now.
Let Him Go is a swift entertainment, claustrophobic and anxious in its depiction of an impossible, frustrating situation, and satisfying in its gnarly climax.
You can judge Let Him Go for yourself when it arrives in theaters this Friday, November 6. Learn what movies are intended to play in theaters next year with our 2021 release schedule.
