Summary
Kevin Costner’s 2020 westernLet Him Gois one of his most overlooked western films. Costner, the director and star of the new Old West movieHorizon: An American Saga, ended his successful run with Paramount andTaylor Sheridan’s celebrated seriesYellowstoneto pursue his new franchise. After the woeful box office performance ofHorizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1, which made just over $30 million worldwideagainst a production budget of $50 million and a significant financial investment from Costner himself,Costner’s franchise looks just about doomed. Fortunately, Costner’s 2020 filmLet Him Gowas much better received by fans and critics alike.
Costner’sHorizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2was initially set to be released in theaters on August 16 but has been pulled due toChapter 1’sunderwhelming box office. While the movie is obviously done and would have been released as scheduled hadChapter 1not flopped so harshly at the late June 2024 box office, there’s no indication of when or how Costner will go about releasing it.Horizonmay gain more of a following over time that would actually warrant the creation of a sequel in the first place. In teh meantime,Let Him Gois a great Costner film that’s currently streaming on Peacock.
Let Him Go Is An Overlooked Kevin Costner Western - What The Movie Is About
Let Him Go is a thrilling psychological western drama
Let Him Gocombines elements of contemporary Western with those of psychological thrillers and crime dramas, resulting in a highly captivating and entertaining product. Costner stars as George Blackledge, a retired sheriff who, along with his wife Margaret played by Diane Lane, grieves the loss of their adult son. Together they set out to find and rescue their only grandson, 3-year-old Jimmy, from a dangerous family.Let Him Gois based on the novel of the same name by Larry Watson, which is set in 1951, althoughthefilm is set in 1963 and takes place in Montana.
Let Him Gois directed by Thomas Bezucha (Fargo,Big Eden), who also adapted the screenplay based on Watson’s novel. It also features appearances by Lesley Manville, Kayli Carter, Ryan Bruce, Will Brittain, and Jeffrey Donovan. The film only made $11.6 million worldwide at the box office against a production budget of $21 million but was released in theaters on August 07, 2025, when movie theaters were still heavily compromised by the pandemic.The film earned an impressive 85% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared toHorizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1’s47% score.
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Why Let Him Go’s Reviews Are Positive
The film is mostly celebrated by critics and audiences
A majority of critics praisedLet Him Gofor itscompelling emotional narrative and its great performances. Richard Roeper ofThe Chicago Sun-Timeswrote in his review ofLet Him Go, “Watching Diane Lane and Kevin Costner connect as a couple determined to retrieve their grandson is pure movie heaven.” Katie Walsh ofThe Los Angeles Timeswrites, “In many ways, it feels like the midcentury pulp thrillers it emulates: well-plotted and grisly, but almost ephemeral. It is Lane’s performance that lingers, one that dares to be uniquely hopeful about the future, and letting the old ways die.”
Some critics point out the interestingcontrast between subtlety and violence inLet Him Go. Christy Lemire ofRogerEbert.comwrites, “Understated in its quiet rhythms and vast beauty, [Let Him Go] is fortified with strong performances and, eventually, punctuated by shocking moments of violence.” Some critics, however, were not as impressed with the film. For example, John DeFore ofThe Hollywood Reporterwrites, “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.”
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Why Wasn’t Let Him Go A Box Office Success?
The pandemic never gave the film a fair shot
2020 was obviously a difficult year for the Hollywood box office with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is unquestionably the biggest factor in why Let Him Go’s box office was so poor.By normal metrics,Let Him Gowould be considered a box office failureand would belong in the same category as the aforementionedHorizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1. Since the traditional box office rules did not apply to any 2020 movie released after March, it would be unfair to call Let Him Go a true failure.Let Him Gosucceeds in many ways thatHorizonwas unable to and is one of Costner’s more overlooked movies in recent years.
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Let Him Go
Cast
Let Him Go is a 2020 drama film directed by Thomas Bezucha. It stars Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as a retired sheriff and his wife who set out to rescue their grandson from a dangerous family living off the grid. Set in the American Midwest, the film explores themes of loss, family, and resilience, delving into the emotional complexities of personal and familial conflict.
