FILM I DRAMA
‘Let Him Go’ Portrays Forceful Women in a World Ruled by Men
Thomas Bezucha’s neo-western revises conventional roles.
Ever since I’ve seen Kevin Costner’s epic western Dances With Wolves as a kid, I enjoy watching him play strong and stoic gunslingers. These are roles that best suit him, but more importantly, he performs them with gravitas. He delivers authenticity that comes through the screen every single time. He represents a dying breed of cowboys in a country that forces them to the verge of extinction.
Thomas Bezucha’s slow-burn neo-western is somewhat different in terms of conventional roles. The husband, father, and ex-sheriff George Blackledge (Costner) is grieving his son, and he stays quietly in the background like a cautious old dog. He never barks but always ready to bite. However, his wife, Margaret (Diane Lane), calls the shots here. He lets her lead, do the talking, and take action. He’s just a backup if things go terribly wrong.
Let Him Go accurately portrays an era that was dominated by men, but it focuses on the roles that women represented back in the 60s. The women that guided and raised a generation of men to become potent leaders.
“Sometimes, we have women that will take us to places. Women…
