LET HIM GO

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

Montana, 1961 – Retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) lives on a ranch with his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) and adult son James (Ryan Bruce), plus James’s wife Lorna (Kayli Carter) and infant son Jimmy. One day, Margaret notices James’s horse trotting around without him, and she senses something is wrong. George rides his horse out into the woods and finds James’s body by the creek. He had fallen off his horse and broken his neck. George then quietly takes his son’s body home.

Years later, George and Margaret are going to the wedding of Lorna and her new husband, Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain). The Blackledges help the younger couple settle into their new home. It is obvious that Lorna isn’t very much in love with Donnie and just needs support for herself and Jimmy (now played by Otto and Bram Hornung). Jimmy’s absence stings Margaret more because it means that the last part of their son has left them too.

While out shopping, Margaret sees Lorna and Jimmy out with Donnie after getting ice cream. Jimmy drops his, and when Donnie tries to give him his, Jimmy declines. Donnie then forcefully grabs Jimmy’s arm, and when Lorna steps in, Donnie strikes her. Margaret later goes by the apartment to check in on Lorna and Jimmy, but a nearby tenant tells Margaret that the three of them left town to wherever Donnie’s family lives, but nobody knows where. Margaret goes home and packs her bags with the intent of going to rescue Jimmy, and although George is reluctant to let her go, he joins her. On their way out, they pass by James’s grave and pay their respects.

George and Margaret start asking people in town about the Weboys’ whereabouts. George is startled to discover that Margaret brought his gun with her, but she strongly feels she will need it when dealing with Donnie. They speak to a sheriff who gives them a lead in North Dakota. They then speak to another shop owner with some relation to the Weboys, who tell them to look in Gladstone.

In their travels, the Blackledges come across a young Native American man named Peter Dragswolf (Booboo Stewart), who lives nearby. They catch him looking in their car, but he insists that he is not looking to steal anything from them. He provides them with some food and warmth for the evening, and even tells them to look for Donnie’s uncle, Bill (Jeffrey Donovan).

The following morning, George and Margaret travel and meet Bill. After letting them know they only want to see their grandson, Bill speaks to his sister-in-law and Donnie’s mother, Blanche (Lesley Manville), who wants to meet the Blackledges. Bill leads them to Blanche’s home, where she lives with her other two sons Marvin (Adam Stafford) and Elton (Connor Mackay). Blanche appears pleasant and charming, telling the Blackledges about her time in Gladstone and a bit of her history, including a story about her late husband. After dinner, Donnie arrives with Lorna and Jimmy. When Margaret holds Jimmy, she starts to walk out, and Blanche starts to show her true colors. She speaks sternly to Lorna and Jimmy, and orders Lorna to put him to bed. George and Margaret have no choice but to leave.

The next day, George and Margaret find Lorna at her job and take her to lunch. They make their point about her and Jimmy going back with them and getting away from the Weboys, as Lorna is clearly terrified of them, but she worries about what they will do if she tries to leave, since she knows that Blanche will not let Donnie leave her again. However, she is soon convinced and plans to sneak out later at night while the Weboys are asleep.

That night, the Weboys attack the Blackledges in their hotel room. As Blanche yells at them about “jumping” Lorna at work, Margaret tells Blanche that Donnie struck Lorna and Jimmy. Blanche asks Donnie if it’s true, even slapping him and then Margaret to ask how hard he hit Lorna. When she orders him to hit Margaret, George bursts past Marvin and Elton to grab his gun and point it at them before Donnie can touch Margaret. The men then overpower him, and Blanche orders Donnie to chop off his fingers with a hatchet, which he does. They leave, and Margaret takes George to the hospital.

A local officer visits the Blackledges at the hospital to tell them that he spoke to the Weboys, who spun the story around to make it look like George attacked first and that he and Margaret planned to abduct Lorna and Jimmy. The officer is clearly on the Weboys’ side, as he does nothing to help the Blackledges and tells them that Jimmy is a Weboy now.

George and Margaret start making their way back to Montana, defeated, but George is too weak to keep going, so they stop by Peter’s home again to rest. Peter talks to Margaret outside and tells her about how men stormed his village and took children away from their families and tried to “wash the Indian” out of them. When he returned to his grandmother, they couldn’t understand each other anymore. Margaret goes to tell George that they can get a place out there to still be closer to Lorna and Jimmy, but George is done and just wants to give up. Margaret breaks down and laments that she feels they have lost James all over again.

George takes what Margaret said to heart and realizes what he needs to do. He sneaks out with a shotgun back to the Weboy house. He sets fire to the house outside and makes his way to Donnie and Lorna’s room, where he forces Donnie down at gunpoint. Lorna does not hesitate to make her way outside. Meanwhile, Margaret notices George has left and rushes with Peter to find him. George knocks Donnie unconscious as he tries to alert the others, and Bill catches Lorna with Jimmy. Blanche wakes up as George fights Bill and Lorna tumbles down the stairs. Blanche aims her pistol at George as he gets Jimmy back but she accidentally shoots Bill in the face, killing him. George throws Jimmy over the balcony to Lorna, who catches him as Blanche shoots George in the chest. He musters up enough strength to fight her for the gun as Marvin and Elton run upstairs, only for George to cause Blanche to shoot both of them dead.

Margaret and Peter find Lorna and Jimmy running outside. Margaret rushes inside to try and get George out. Blanche corners them and shoots George again, this time killing him. Margaret grabs the shotgun as Blanche starts raving and declares, “Oh you go to hell!”, only for Margaret to shoot and send Blanche there herself. Margaret tries to wake George up, but he is dead. Peter gets her out as the Weboy house goes up in flames.

As the morning comes, Margaret parts ways with Peter and drives home with Lorna and Jimmy. She weeps for the loss of George, but looks over at Jimmy, knowing that at least he is safe.

Retired sheriff George Blackledge and his wife Margaret lose their son James in a tragic accident. Years later, James's widow Lorna marries Donnie Weboy, a violent man from a horrible family. Knowing that Lorna and their grandson Jimmy is in danger, Margaret convinces George to go out and rescue Lorna and Jimmy to bring them back to Montana.

The Blackledges are led to North Dakota where they meet Donnie's uncle Bill and mother Blanche, plus brothers Marvin and Elton. Although they seem charming at first, their antagonistic nature is made clear when Margaret wants to bring Jimmy back with her.

After George and Margaret convince Lorna to take Jimmy and flee with them, the Weboys attack the Blackledges in their hotel room, severing George's fingers. The local sheriff also takes the Weboys side in the case. Even though George is set on giving up, Margaret convinces him again when it feels like they have lost James again.

George sneaks to the Weboy house and sets it on fire before he gets Lorna and Jimmy out. He knocks Donnie out, but Bill and Blanche try to catch them. Blanche accidentally shoots Bill in the face before George throws Jimmy to Lorna. He also gets Blanche to kill Marvin and Elton. Margaret arrives with Peter (a young man the couple met) to help, but Blanche fatally shoots George before Margaret kills Blanche.

Margaret mourns George but is thankful to be taking Lorna and Jimmy back home.