Don’t Let Go will keep you guessing at every turn

David Oyelowo and Storm Reid are in a race to change the past in Don’t Let Go. The thriller hits theaters this weekend. Should you be buying a ticket?

This weekend the latest Blumhouse creation (they’ve been very busy) Don’t Let Go hits theaters. It feels like this one came out of nowhere. I only saw the first trailer about three weeks ago when someone sent it to me but the cast immediately caught my attention.

Featuring actors like Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo (Selma) and Emmy nominee Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta), there is a good amount of star power involved. Add young actress Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time) to that list of recognizable faces and we have a movie that you have to at least consider.

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From the trailer, you can see that Don’t Let Go is a movie about an uncle (Oyelowo) who has a close relationship with his niece (Reid.) Her father (Henry) seems to have a shady past and that past is going to catch up to him, getting his family murdered.

Oyelowo’s character is a cop and when he receives a call that appears to be from his dead niece he is initially confused. However, when the calls continue he eventually works out that she is calling him from the past and he may be able to save her.

Acting

As expected with a cast this strong, the acting is great. Oyelowo’s character doesn’t immediately accept that he’s getting a call from his dead niece. He initially questions where her phone is and wonder’s who could be messing with him. Even once he confirms this information he runs a few tests to make sure and then doesn’t immediately have all of the answers.

At the same time, his niece, once he starts acting weird, doesn’t immediately accept his explanation either. For a situation that would rattle any person, both characters act like a normal person would in this situation and it takes some time before both are able to accept their situation. There are a lot of intense moments and the characters pull you right in with them.

Tension throughout

With a movie like Don’t Let Go you expect that you’ll get a nice introduction to the characters before the action starts, but Don’t Let Go wastes no time getting right to the point. Of course, you do get the great uncle-niece moment at the beginning, but because they are going to spend time not sure if they can trust the weird call the movie gets to the murder quickly.

They don’t hold back either. The scene is tough because we don’t know where the killer is when the bodies are found and they are spread out throughout the house. These scenes are a tad bit graphic so if you’re sensitive to these things be aware.

Once we get into the meat of the story, with Oyelowo’s Jack and Reid’s Ashley, trying to figure out what’s going on and what they can do about it, there are some paranormal moments that become very tense, as well. We still aren’t sure exactly what the rules are for this time travel situation and Director Jacob Estes seems to want to make us feel the same fear, nervousness, and concern that the characters have.

Twists

If you’ve read any of my reviews you know that I’m very big on the way trailers are cut. I hate trailers that tell too much of the story and with Don’t Let Go this was not the case. This means that when things don’t go the way I thought they were going to, based on the trailer, the movie really had my attention.

There are a few twists that are not given away in the trailer or even teased. Both increase the stakes in the situation and that’s as much as I’m willing to say to avoid spoiling anything. Given the type of movie this is, holding back information in the trailer is essential to the viewing experience so I am incredibly grateful that they had the foresight to do so in this case.

Overall

Don’t Let Go does its job and does it well. The strong cast pulled their weight and added depth to the story. Storm Reid was great and it’s awesome to watch her grow up right before our eyes essentially.

The writers/director did a great job of making something that could have come off as incredibly goofy feel real and acceptable. From there you have an intense mystery/thriller that will keep you on your toes.

As soon as you think you have it figured out and know what is coming next the movie will surprise you. Then when you think you have it all figured out it will change something else. This made for a very enjoyable watch and culminates in a very satisfying ending.

If you’re on the fence about seeing Don’t Let Go, climb over. You could do much worse for a movie night.

What did you think of Don’t Let Go? Is this a thriller you recommend? Shar e your thoughts in the comments below.

Don’t Let Go is currently in theaters nationwide.