Kevin Costner's Underrated 2020 Western Thriller Reunited Him With A Snyderverse Star

Despite being of the same generation, experiencing popularity peaks at roughly the same time, and making many similar movies, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane never shared the screen until 2013's "Man of Steel." The pair returned as Jonathan "Pa" Kent and Martha "Ma" Kent, respectively, in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Zack Snyder's Justice League" — the latter being a Costner cameo you likely missed as it was only his voice. 

But Costner and Lane working together didn't start and end within the DC Extended Universe, as the pair also co-starred in 2020's "Let Him Go." In fact, this Western action thriller saw them play an older farm couple once again, only this time as grandparents. George Blackledge (Costner) lives a quiet life on the ranch with his wife Margaret (Lane), son James (Ryan Bruce), daughter-in-law Lorna (Kayli Carter), and grandson Jimmy (Otto and Bram Hornung). But their simple life gets turned upside down when James dies in a tragic accident.

Widowed single mother Lorna then gets into a toxic relationship with a member of the Weboy family, known in the area to be a clan of criminals — and thus marks "Let Him Go's" transition from Western drama to Western thriller. 

It's immediately clear that Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain) isn't the best guy in the world, but Lorna rebuffs George and Margaret's concerns, pointing out that she can't afford to raise Jimmy on her own. The Blackledges try to not overstep, but when Margaret witnesses Donnie getting physically abusive, she confronts Lorna. When Lorna, Donnie, and Jimmy go missing, Margaret realizes the kind of trouble Jimmy is in if he grows up around the dangerous Weboy family. 

After trying to do things the right way by involving law enforcement, it becomes clear to Margaret that she and George have to rescue Jimmy themselves. What follows is a surprisingly brutal showdown between the Blackledges and Weboys, one in which Lane demonstrates that she could've had a fruitful career as a badass Western hero. Despite, oddly enough, not being a fan of most Western movies, Costner's bona fides in the genre have been proven on film and television countless times, though he still deserves recognition for his dynamite performance here. Both were frequently called out by critics, who raved about "Let Him Go" all the way through.

If Westerns are your thing — and considering the popularity of the "Yellowstone" universe and all its spin-offs, they are a lot of people's thing these days — you should definitely check out "Let Him Go" if you missed it.