Let Him Go (2020) - 4K UHD + Blu-ray

Details: By Frank Wilkins; 10 September 2024

Let Him Go (2020)

Whether it’s Shelley Winters literally sponge-bathing her sons with motherly attention in Roger Corman’s Bloody Mama, or Jackie Weaver’s “Smurf” gleefully reminding her sons of all the bad things they’ve done in 2010’s Animal Kingdom, there’s just something ghoulishly alluring about stories that feature domineering mothers who hen over their brood of chicken-hearted sons.

"a smoldering cauldron of courage and familial love"

Add the Oscar-worthy performance of Leslie Manville (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) into the mix as Blanche Weboy, the matriarchal head of the Weboy clan in Let Him Go, a film which also stars Kevin Costner (TV's Yellowstone) – no actor does rugged Montana ranch owner better, Diane Lane (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), and Kayli Carter (Bad Education). Despite the firepower at the top of the bill, it’s Manville whose strong performance not only steals the show but also throws the film’s second half into an exciting nail-biting tizzy.

Let Him Go, is directed by Thomas Bezucha, (The Family Stone). He also adapts the story from Larry Watson’s 2013 American neo-Western drama novel of the same name, which tells the story – set in the early 60s – of retired rural sheriff George Blackledge (Costner) and his wife Margaret (Lane) who are hit with tragedy in the film’s opening scenes when their adult son is killed in a horse riding accident, leaving behind his widow Lorna (Carter), and a young son.

Jump to three years later and we learn that Lorna has remarried to a man named Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain, Kong: Skull Island), a young man with strong ties to his family back in North Dakota. It’s not long before Margaret’s Mama Bear mode is activated when she spots Donnie striking both Lorna and her grandson. Let Him Go (2020)

However, before she can come to the rescue, Margaret learns that the newlyweds have pulled up stakes in the middle of the night and fled to North Dakota, without even saying goodbye. However a hunch tells her that Lorna may not be a willing participant. George and Margaret are left with no choice but to fight for their family, no matter how high the cost.

The middle section of the film is the proverbial calm before the storm with gorgeous shots from DP Guy Godfree (Maudie) of the Canadian Rockies standing in for Big Sky Country and the Dakota Badlands which play nicely against Bezucha’s smoldering cauldron of courage and familial love.

Everything has a deliberate patience about it that lulls us in with its restraint and self-control before exploding into a disturbing little thriller in its final act. And wow, that final act! Manville’s Pork Chop Summit scene, which borrows heavily from East of Eden, will undoubtedly go down as one of the year’s best entrance scenes. It’s a true thing of beauty and kudos to Bezucha for its creative flair and flawless execution.

With the need to get the sudden change of tone just right without giving us whiplash, Bezucha is working with a high degree of difficulty. At its essence Let Him Go is a heartfelt love story built onto the chassis of a nail-biting revenge thriller. Bezucha’s biggest success comes from the amount of humanity he builds into his story about the marriage between Margaret and George as they set out to reunite their family.

Never underestimate the power of a mother bent on keeping her family together. In Let Him Go, we are front row witnesses to two of them doing just that. The price they are willing to pay may be incalculable. Let Him Go is now available in 4K.

5/5 stars

Let Him Go (2020)

4k details divider

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Edition

Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios
Available on Blu-ray - October 12, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray lokced to Region A

Putting aside the curious fact that a largely overlooked (but very good) 4-year-old film is getting the UHD treatment when so many higher profile pics aren't, it's a pleasure to report that Thomas Bezucha's American neo-Western thriller Let Him Go, starring Diane Lane and Kevin Costner is now available in ultra hi-def thanks to Universal's 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Code edition.

VIDEO

The question on everyone's mind though: did Let Him Go really deserve the upgrade to 4K? For physical media collectors, and hi-def aficionados, and the film's fans the answer is yes. After all what better way to enjoy this heartfelt love story built onto the chassis of a nail-biting revenge thriller than in its best version possible?

On the flip side, after viewing from a critical angle, we have to confess that there's really not a lot brought to the table with this new transfer. Sure, some of the sweeping Western landscape scenes are even more breathtaking in 4K, but there's also a lot that doesn't really gain much from the 1080p to 2160p upgrade. Not the transfer's fault, but rather how the film is shot.

The picture is sharp and crisp with great color balance, and contrast delineation throughout, but save for those aforementioned beauty shots that really do knock it out of the park, it's all relatively tame by 4K UHD standards.

AUDIO

Here's where it might be worth the upgrade if you own the previously released blu-ray copy of the film. Included are Dolby Atmos and Dolby trueHD 7.1 tracks. The Atmos track does indeed punch up not only the volume, but also the atmospheric environment, particularly the sounds of nature.

Dialogue is mostly front and center and always audible.