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Let Him Go
Movie

Let Him Go

2020 • Crime, Drama, Thriller

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

A retired sheriff and his wife, grieving over the death of their son, set out to find their only grandson.

Overall Series Review

Let Him Go is a neo-Western thriller set in the 1960s that follows a retired sheriff and his wife as they embark on a perilous mission to rescue their young grandson and widowed daughter-in-law from an abusive, isolated crime family. The narrative is driven entirely by the primal, non-political urge to protect one's kin from malevolent forces. The core conflict pits a loving, traditional family unit against a morally bankrupt, off-grid clan, establishing a clear line between good and evil based on character merit and values. The film centers on the sacrifices required to uphold the nuclear family structure and protect its vulnerable members. The themes are classic and timeless, recalling older Westerns, focusing on human morality, grief, and a fierce determination for justice outside of formal institutions. Any minor critiques of American life are contained to the specific, lawless antagonists and a brief commentary on a religious broadcast, rather than a broad indictment of the culture.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The main characters, George and Margaret Blackledge, and the primary antagonists, the Weboy family, are all portrayed as white. The central conflict is therefore based entirely on morality and abuse versus protection, not on race or intersectional hierarchies. A brief appearance of a Native American character, Peter Dragswolf, serves primarily as a helper to the white protagonists and provides a thematic, non-lecturing side-story about government assimilation and cultural divorce. The film's drama is rooted in universal human experience.

Oikophobia3/10

The film does not frame Western civilization as fundamentally corrupt; rather, it highlights the strength and protective nature of the traditional Montana family unit. The antagonists are a lawless, abusive, and isolated American family, making them a specific example of cultural decay, not an allegory for the entire country. The inclusion of the Native American character who offers 'spiritual guidance' to the protagonists touches upon a historical critique, giving a small nod to the 'Noble Savage' trope, but the Blackledges' home life is treated with respect and as a haven from chaos.

Feminism3/10

Margaret Blackledge, the grandmother, is the driving force of the rescue mission, exhibiting fierce determination and serving as the emotional heart of the story. George, the retired sheriff, is her stoic and supportive partner, not a bumbling idiot, embodying a protective masculinity that acts as a counterbalance to her resolve. The antagonist, Blanche Weboy, is also a powerful matriarch, proving female strength is not inherently virtuous. The entire plot celebrates the protective instinct of motherhood and family.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative contains no overt LGBTQ+ characters, themes, or ideology. The story is a straightforward struggle involving a heterosexual couple, their widowed daughter-in-law, and their grandson, centering on the traditional nuclear family structure and its continuation.

Anti-Theism3/10

The core moral of the story is the necessity of good people fighting evil to protect the innocent, which aligns with transcendent morality. The main protagonists are portrayed as morally sound and driven by love. One scene depicts George Blackledge turning off a radio preacher who is 'drowning in a lake of fire,' which is a rejection of a judgmental, 'fire and brimstone' style of Christianity, but not a blanket attack on faith itself. The main antagonists are explicitly secular in their warped family values.