Don’t Let Go (2019)
Directed by
Don’t Let Go (2019)
Directed by Jacob Estes
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. ‘What the hell is Don’t Let Go? I’ve never heard of this movie before.’ And I completely hear you. I’ve only seen the trailer for this movie once and I was at the theatre close to a dozen times in the last month, hell, the only reason I even knew it had come out was when I saw a poster for it next to a theatre that was playing it that day! But I did like the trailer and am always up for weird, smaller movies, so I decided to give it a shot. The results were…mixed.
We Should Probably Go Over The Plot First
I assume that most people have not seen the trailer, let alone the film, so I’ll briefly summarize the premise before I get too far. The story focuses on Jack Radcliffe, a homicide detective, and his niece, Ashley, who have a strong bond due to Ashley’s issues at home. Jack does all he can to help protect and raise Ashley but one-day tragedy strikes and Ashley, along with her mother and father, are found dead in their house. Jack, reasonably, falls into a deep depression, feeling responsible for what happened, but then something bizarre happens, Jack gets a phone call from Ashley — from two weeks ago. Jack, realizing he has another chance to help, tries to work with past-Ashley to figure out what happened and save Ashley before his present becomes her future.
And I Liked It!
I think that sounds pretty neat! It reads like a Twilight Zone episode that was made into a feature film, and this story was intriguing. Typically, I’m not a huge fan of detective movies or whodunnits, but this was enough of a twist to the formula that for about 80% of the movie I was super invested based on the story alone. There’s something about the simple pleasures of manipulating the space-time continuum to correct your past mistakes that appeals to me. Maybe it’s the optimism of second chances, maybe its the vanity of thinking, “I’m really smart, I can solve this crime before anyone else does,” I dunno, but this concept hooked me.
Nice Work, David Oyelowo
Part of why the setup works so well for me was the central performance from Jack, played by David Oyelowo, who brings a realistic and striking portrayal of a broken man given a chance to fix a tragedy that he feels responsible for. He sells the desperation and determination needed to make Don’t Let Go feel real and meaningful rather than just hokey. I wouldn’t call everyone else’s performances bad per se, but no one can quite match the intensity and depth that Oyelowo brings. Part of that may have been because not every character is written particularly well.
The Writing Is Good! What’s Bad? Also The Writing…
The script is Don’t Let Go’s biggest strength, but it is also the film’s biggest weakness. As far as the central story and characters are concerned, the first two acts are pretty strong, however, once the third act starts everything goes wrong. I’ll keep this spoiler-free but the third act let me down and made a decently straight-forward plot needlessly complex by throwing a ton of story at the audience by way of a lot of really on the nose scenes of exposition. I’d criticize the acting in those scenes but I’ll be honest, no one could read those lines and make them not awkward. And I like that actor’s performance otherwise so they get a pass.
How Many Times Can I Use The Phrase “On The Nose”?
What doesn’t get a pass is that the “on the nose” bits of the movie get downright ridiculous. It’s kind of a sci-fi/fantasy premise so there’s got to be some exposition, that’s fine. But there are so many groan-worthy scenes of people explaining exactly what is happening, exactly why it is happening, explaining things that have happened off-screen and are important but haven’t been mentioned yet. Hell, there’s a scene where a character, who is an amateur songwriter, writes a song that could be charitably called foreshadowing, which has exactly the same themes as the last scene of the film. The writing is a bit sloppy.
SURPRISE COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY
All that said though, it may surprise you to learn that I actually would recommend this movie. The review here seems a bit one-sided with how many critiques I can make of the individual elements of Don’t Let Go but as with all art, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The mystery and intrigue from the initial premise kept me invested, for the first two acts anyway, and my biggest takeaway from the film is how much I did enjoy most of it. Yes, I know it is flawed. Yes, I can easily pick apart a lot of it, but that’s not the point. Despite its flaws, Don’t Let Go hooked me, and I think you might get something out of it too. Also, this movie is not a reboot or remake or sequel, so I almost have to recommend it on that merit alone.
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