Let Him Go Movie Review

While watching Let Him Go, based on the novel by Larry Watson, I found myself sitting with a kind of quiet heaviness that doesn’t leave easily. This is not just a story—it is a slow, painful unfolding of love, loss, and the lengths people will go to protect what remains of their family.

George and Margaret Blackledge are an elderly couple living a simple, steady life. Their world revolves around their only son, James, his wife Lorna, and their little grandson. There is a sense of peace in their home—the kind built over years of hard work and shared memories.

Then, in a single moment, that peace is shattered.

James dies in a tragic accident while riding his horse. A man who was skilled and careful, gone just like that. They say he fell and broke his neck. There is no time to prepare for such loss, no way to soften it. For George and Margaret, it is not just the death of a son—it is the breaking of a future they thought they would share.

Life moves on, even when people are not ready.

Lorna, now a widow, remarries a man named Donnie Weboy. The Blackledges attend the wedding. They show up, not because it is easy, but because they are trying to accept what life has forced upon them. Donnie arrives alone, with no family of his own present, which already feels unusual, but they say nothing.

They continue living nearby, close enough to see their grandson from time to time. But they keep their distance. The boy now has a new father, and they believe it is not their place to interfere. So they watch quietly, carrying their grief in silence.

Until one day, everything changes again.

Margaret is driving when she sees Lorna, Donnie, and her grandson walking together, eating ice cream. It is an ordinary moment—but what she witnesses is not ordinary at all. The little boy drops his ice cream and becomes visibly upset. Instead of comforting him, Donnie grows impatient. He tells the boy to keep walking, but the child hesitates. In response, Donnie tries to drag him. When the boy resists, he hits him. Then, without hesitation, he strikes Lorna too—right there in the open, as if it is nothing.

Margaret watches from her car. She does not step out. She does not shout. But in that moment, she understands something is very wrong.

The next day, she goes to visit them, carrying a cake she baked. It is a simple gesture, one that comes from care and concern. But when she arrives, she is told they left suddenly the evening before. No explanation. No goodbye. They packed everything and disappeared.

That silence unsettles her more than anything she saw.

Days turn into more days. Margaret waits, hoping for a letter. Back then, there were no phones to rely on—only written words. But nothing comes. Not a single message.

The not knowing begins to weigh on her.

She turns to George and tells him they cannot just sit and wait. They need to find Lorna and their grandson—not to take the child away by force, but to make sure he is safe. George hesitates at first. They are no longer young. The road ahead is uncertain. But he loves his wife, and he knows the kind of woman she is. Once her mind is made up, she will not rest.

So they leave.

Their journey is long and tiring. They travel from town to town, asking questions, following small leads that often lead nowhere. At times, they sleep in police stations, holding onto whatever little hope they can find. It is not an easy journey, but it is driven by something stronger than fear—love.

At one point, George begins to question whether they should continue. He reminds Margaret that they are old, that their grandson is still very young, that maybe it is not their place anymore. But Margaret refuses to turn back. She tells him he can go home if he wants—but she will keep going. That tells you everything about her strength.

Along the way, they meet a young boy named Peter. He is living on his own, having run away from a life of abuse. He speaks of being mistreated, of having his head shaved and being bathed in kerosene. His story mirrors the kind of danger Margaret fears for her grandson.

Peter helps them. When they ask about the Weboy family, he recognizes the name and directs them—but not without warning them to be careful.

When they finally reach the Weboy family, something feels wrong immediately. The atmosphere is tense, controlled, almost suffocating. They are invited in, but not warmly. There is food, but no comfort.

The woman who seems to control everything speaks in a way that feels mocking and dismissive. Her sons obey her without question. When George asks directly about his grandson, there is a pause—as if even that simple question is an inconvenience.

Eventually, the child is brought in. Lorna is carrying him. Margaret, full of longing, asks if he is tired. Before she can even hold him properly, Donnie criticizes Lorna for carrying the boy too much, saying he will never learn to walk on his own. This child already walks on his own, and Donnie knows this, but the child does not feel safe.

Even in front of his grandparents, there is no kindness.

Margaret barely gets a moment with her grandson before the boy is taken away. When she asks to spend a little more time with him, she is told that children in that house do not stay up late. The decision is not hers to make.

They are forced to leave, carrying a quiet anger and deep worry.

The next day, Margaret finds Lorna at her workplace. This time, she speaks plainly. She tells her what she saw. She tells her she knows the truth. Lorna does not argue. Instead, she agrees to leave with them that very night, bringing her son with her.

For the first time, there is hope.

That night, George and Margaret wait. They stay awake, listening for every sound. When there is finally a knock at the door, their hearts lift.

But it is not Lorna.

It is the Weboy family.

What follows is cruel and terrifying. They threaten the elderly couple, mock them, and make it clear they are not welcome to interfere. One of the sons behaves inappropriately toward Margaret, while George tries to defend her. In the struggle, George pulls a gun—but he is quickly overpowered.

As punishment, they cut off one of his fingers.

Even after this incident, there is no justice. The police refuse to act, twisting the story and protecting the abusers. The couple is left alone, wounded in more ways than one. The policeman even threatened them, saying that if they did not leave that town, their grandson would die. George, still in the hospital bed, got frustrated and told him to get out. He was a corrupt cop working for the Weeboy family.

But even then, they do not give up.

In one final act of courage, George goes alone to rescue Lorna and the boy. The wife only saw him driving out. with the car and immediately followed him with a Peter's horse. He sets part of the house on fire to create chaos, giving Lorna a chance to escape with her son. In the middle of that fire, there is gunfire, confusion, and loss.

George succeeds in saving them.

Margaret arrives late but goes in to find George with Peter. She finds him in the burning house, helps him downstairs, and they are about to leave the door when the mother of the Weeboys shoots at him again, and he doesn't make it out. Margaret holds him, refusing to leave, and whispers into his ear as the house is almost burning down. Peter had to drag her out; goodbye was something she never expected to say on this journey. It is a moment filled with grief that words can barely carry.

He gave everything so that his grandson could live a different life.

That is what makes this story so powerful—it shows a kind of love that does not ask for recognition. A love that sacrifices quietly, completely.

In the end, Margaret returns home with Lorna and her grandson. But George is no longer beside her. The journey they began together becomes one she must carry alone.

This film speaks deeply about loss—the loss of a child, the distance that comes with time, and the quiet pain of watching life move forward without you. It also shows the strength it takes to stand up against abuse, even when the odds are against you.

There is one idea in the story that stays with you—that some people choose widows because they believe they will be easier to control or grateful to get married again. It is a disturbing thing to know.

If there is anything to take from the story, it is this: abuse does not end on its own. It only grows. No matter how small it may seem at first, it is never something to ignore.

Let Him Go is a film that lingers long after it ends. It reminds me of Train dream.

Have you seen it?

Cast:

Diane Lane as Margaret Blackledge

Kevin Costner as George Blackledge

Lesley Manville as Blanche Weboy

Will Brittain as Donnie Weboy

Jeffrey Donovan as Bill Weboy

Kayli Carter as Lorna Blackledge

Booboo Stewart as Peter Dragswolf

Written and Directed by Thomas Bezucha

QUESTION: In their situation, their son died and left behind a widow and a young child. The widow remarried a man who turned out to be abusive and who took them away to a city the grandparents did not know about. The grandparents stepped in to protect both of them and drove for days searching for them. Would you do the same, or would you look away because she now has a new family?