Kevinography, part 14 - Let him go (2020)

This is part 14 in a series in which, for reasons not really clear, I watch all watchable movies with Kevin Costner. And maybe even some unwatchable ones. I will then comment on them here for you, including a synopsis in case you aren't familiar with them.

 

Synopsis: In 1967, a man falls off a horse and dies. He leaves behind his young wife (Kayli Carter), their babe and his parents (Kevin Costner, Diane Lane). The wife remarries, and the husband turns out to be abusive. Before the parents can do something about it, he forces his family to North Dakota, back to where his clan lives. The parents follow, realizing too late just what kind of people their son-in-law descends from...

 

Analysis: In a surprising choice of role, Kevin Costner plays a gruff Montana cowboy in the waning days of gruff men, surviving with their hand's work on a remote farm. Unlike many other turns with this concept, however, this time it sticks, thanks to the strength of the script and an understated, efficient direction. 

 

The story itself is very simple and won't surprise anyone. In fact, it's the unsurprisingess of it all, the fact that you discern every plot beat a few minutes before it actually happens, that fuels much of the silent dread. It's a dreary setting; Montana and North Dakota in the fall are both not exactly lively places. Dreary people live dreary lives under bleaching sun light. 

 

The whole thing takes a real turn when Costner and Lane get introduced to the family of their unloved son-in-law, which turns out to be run by a mama bear of epic proportions. The character of Blanche, played by Lesley Manville, serves as an evil-counterpoint to Lanes much more subdued character. The latter immediately fits in with Costner's gruff alter ego, where practically all communication is non-verbal, much to the chagrin of their daughter-in-law. 

 

Manville, on the other hand, tears the scenery up. It's hard on the edge to overacting, but never quite getting there, providing a splot of color in the dreary surroundings that's utterly out of place and generating menace just by this fact alone. The sparse dialogue and minimalist movements of our main characters, the sleepy towns, all of it does little to prepare one for the final eruption of violence. 

 

It's not cathartic violence, by the way. You don't get the satisfaction of revenge, and it's a good thing, one that let's this movie differ positively from the abysmal "The Highwayman" I talked about last time. 

 

The two main weaknesses of the movie are the character of Peter, a Native American who really is just a plot device and not really surprising, and the very heavy-handed metaphor of the dying horse (you know what I mean when you get there). Other than that...

 

Final Verdict: This is extremely watchable, if somewhat depressing. The suspense is high, the acting and direction generally very good.