In Thomas Bezucha’s Let Him Go, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane prove to be an awesome duo, playing a pair of grandparents who find themselves on a dangerous mission to rescue their grandson and his mother (their widowed step-daughter) from the vicious and controlling family of her new husband. The stars have wonderful chemistry together, with matching grit and determination that round out the film’s drama – and what adds an interesting extra layer of history to their performances is that in another fictional universe they are known as Jonathan and Martha Kent.
While it’s not something that you necessarily think about while watching Let Him Go, it is funny to realize that Kevin Costner and Diane Lane previously worked together playing two of the most iconic parents in comic book history in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Admittedly it wasn’t something that Thomas Bezucha was actively thinking about when casting the film, as he hadn’t actually seen those movies prior to making the neo-western, but when I had the opportunity to interview the filmmaker last week he had this to say when I asked him about concerns and advantages of the pair’s blockbuster history:
The advantage was in their comfort with each other because they had sort of done a couple of laps as a couple. I had not seen the Superman movies, and so I think maybe now if I had, I would have thought twice. I was unprepared for how deep the fanbase for the Kents was. But I don't think it matters at the end of the day.
It highlights a funny conundrum that Hollywood has faced for almost its entire existence. Every film wants to hire the biggest names – but during the actual experience of watching said film the idea is for the audience to totally forget about all of the characters its stars have previously played. Let Him Go’s situation clearly takes things an extra step by having two leads who are together associated with a previous collaboration, but Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are so wonderfully talented that they totally disappear into the roles of George and Margaret Blackledge, and it’s not something you’re thinking about as they go off on what is for them a life-or-death mission.
Let Him Go earned widespread critical acclaim last fall when it was released in theaters, but if you didn’t have the opportunity to check it out theatrically the good news is that it’s now available to watch at home. The movie was released digitally last month at all major retailers, and those of you looking to add a copy of it to your physical media collections will be able to do so on February 2 when it comes out on Blu-ray and DVD.
