Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are on screen together again for the first time since playing Superman’s parents - the Kents - in “Man of Steel” and “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.” They say they were thrilled to find a project to work on together where they were on screen for more than a few minutes.
“I had hoped that we would be able to do something that was more than a minute,” Costner says. “It just seemed like that’s how short it was with what we had in Superman.”
Their on-screen chemistry and work ethic was undeniable in that role and is beautiful to watch them work together again in “Let Him Go.” The film was produced, written and directed by Thomas Bezucha and is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Larry Watson.
But before you start thinking this is a sunset romance story, let me assure you, it isn’t. It’s a Western-style thriller that takes their characters from grief to terror in just under 2 hours. After the tragic loss of their son, a retired sheriff named George (Costner) and his wife Margaret (Lane) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from a dangerous family in the Dakotas.
George knows going after their grandson might be dangerous, but his love for his wife propels him to do something he otherwise wouldn’t do. Costner says he related to George’s love for a strong woman.
“I have an understanding of a man who’s had a long-term relationship. I have an understanding of what it’s like to be around a strong-willed woman. And how they can be so dynamic, you just follow them. And in this instance, he follows her against his better instincts,” Costner says.
The film is set in the 1960s, where typically women on film are depicted as quiet and subservient to their husbands. But Margaret’s love for her child and her grandson propel her throughout the film to push the boundaries. Things get dangerous when they finally catch up with the Weboys, and their cruel matriarch Blanche played by Lesley Manville.
“We have a weak mother. We have an overbearing mother. We have a panicked and controlling mother. There are many ways to do that job,” Lane says.
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Manville describes Blanche as a bad mom.
“Yes she feels like she’s protecting her own, but the price of that is unacceptable. She’s denying these grandparents the right they have to have contact with their blood grandchild,” Manville says. “She’s ruthless. She’s an egomaniac and will go to clearly any lengths to protect what she sees as hers.”
Watching these 3 stars on screen is like watching a master class in acting. The story is slow at the start, then quickly sets a fuse of frights. But ultimately, you want to watch to see these actors do what they do best.
“Let Him Go” opens in theaters nationwide Nov. 6. It stars Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Lesley Manville, Jeffrey Donovan, Kayli Carter, Booboo Stewart and Will Brittain.
