Director Thomas Bezucha’s thriller is based on Larry Watson’s novel. It starts out quietly and ends up smacking you in the face.
Set in the 1960s, Kevin Costner plays George Blackledge, a former sheriff turned horse farmer. He’s a good man of few words. Diane Lane plays his wife Margaret, a strong-willed, loyal woman. They live with their son, his wife Lorna (Kayli Carter) and their baby boy. They work hard and keep to themselves. However their lives change when their son dies in a riding accident.
Three years later, Lorna remarries. Soon thereafter, Margaret discovers that her grandson’s new stepfather is an abuser. When he abruptly takes them to live with his mother and brothers in the Dakota hills, Margaret convinces George to go with her to track them down.
The tone of the film changes from a drama about a family coping with the death of their only son, to an intense, violent thriller.
Lane and Costner always give strong performances and they don’t disappoint here. Leslie Manville and Jeffrey Donovan as the new husband’s mother and brother, do a great job in keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
It’s a terrifying tale that asks the question — is going after something with all your heart no matter the consequences, worth possibly losing everything?