DON’T LET GO tells the story of a Los Angeles police detective (David Oyelowo) who discovers the murder of his brother, sister-in-law, and niece (Storm Reid). Shortly afterwards, he begins to receive phone calls from his dead niece. Trapped in a mental debate whether he’s going crazy or not, together across time, they race to solve the murders before it can happen.
You know that feeling you get when you’re watching something and it feels familiar? You know, déjà vu of sorts? That’s exactly what I felt with DON’T LET GO. A film that made its way through Sundance earlier in the year under the title RELIVE, the premise kept tapping into the back of my brain as I wondered “where have I seen this before?” Then, once it was over, it hit me… FREQUENCY (2000), starring Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid. Instead of a father-son duo reconnecting through time, it’s now uncle-niece, with a cell phone in place of a radio frequency.
That said, I still found myself drawn to this film. Whether it’s considered a remake or not can be argued till we’re blue in the face. However, in its own way, DON’T LET GO wasn’t that bad. It’s got all the ingredients of a thriller with a supernatural spin. It’s a bit of a slowwww burn at first, but when it picks up steam, it’s an interesting piece tangled in a twisted web of complexity, intensity, mystery and emotional distress. The cast is decent (although I could have used more Molina), the setting is dark and spooky, and most of all… interesting in its own way. It doesn’t reinvent any wheel, but it’s a decent watch. As a whole, it’s definitely an acquired taste… One that’ll be interesting to see how it resonates among moviegoers once released!
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Grade: B / Genre: Thriller, Mystery / Rated: R / Run Time: 1:45
Starring: David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Mykelti Williamson, Alfred Molina, Brian Tyree Henry, Shinelle Azoroh
Witten by Jacob Estes and Drew Daywalt
Directed by Jacob Estes
Official Movie Site: https://www.dontletgomovie.com/
