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Let Him Go - I don't know if there's such a thing as Western Gothic but if there is this is surely a prime example of it. This is set in 1960's era Montana and stars Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as George and Margaret Blackledge. When the movie opens the couple has just lost their son in a riding accident and he's left a wife and young son. Their former daughter-in-law remarries local man Donnie Weboy who turns out to be an abusive stepfather to their grandson Jimmy. After they disappear in the middle of the night Margaret finds out they've gone to North Dakota to live with Donnie's family. She decides to follow them there and try to somehow get custody of her grandson which of course forces George to go along. The family turns out to be a creepy and aggressive bunch. Jeffrey Donovan plays Uncle Bill Weboy and British actress Lesley Manville is the matriarch Blanche Weboy. They live out on an isolated ranch and the first meeting with George and Margaret is steeped in implied violence.
WARNING: spoilers below
Anyone watching will be able to see that it won't end well for certain characters but the natural progression towards eventual bloodshed will still catch the viewer off guard.
I wish I could say that these were towering performances from Costner and Lane but since it's basically Lane's movie Costner isn't given much to do but play the part of sacrificial lamb. And I also wish I could say that Lane's Margaret is a sympathetic character but she isn't. I think part of that is that it's an underwritten role. She is the way she is and triggers events that eventually lead to the death of her husband and five others because ... why exactly? I know that she wants her grandson back but there's just not enough of a solid foundation provided to excuse her actions. And it doesn't help that her line readings and her affectations seem to belong in an entirely different movie. Maybe if they had provided some backstory it would have explained the character's glib delivery and clueless nature. Or maybe I completely missed the boat on this.
I wish I could say that these were towering performances from Costner and Lane but since it's basically Lane's movie Costner isn't given much to do but play the part of sacrificial lamb. And I also wish I could say that Lane's Margaret is a sympathetic character but she isn't. I think part of that is that it's an underwritten role. She is the way she is and triggers events that eventually lead to the death of her husband and five others because ... why exactly? I know that she wants her grandson back but there's just not enough of a solid foundation provided to excuse her actions. And it doesn't help that her line readings and her affectations seem to belong in an entirely different movie. Maybe if they had provided some backstory it would have explained the character's glib delivery and clueless nature. Or maybe I completely missed the boat on this.
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