Make no mistake about it this is Diane Lane’s film as a woman – both defiant and determined – fighting for what is hers.
It’s a slow-paced life in Montana, or Wyoming, or whatever mountainous God’s country that retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife, Margaret (Diane Lane) reside in. They have their share of daily tragedies, where they own a horse farm, but their mountain folk, living off the land, and far simpler than Costner’s character of wealthy land owners with attitudes and egos from his hit series Yellowstone. This story is based on the book by Larry Watson so we learn that George and Margaret don’t mess with the law and they don’t deal with legalities either; they take matters into their own hands.
George doesn’t offer much in the marriage. A pleaser, a dutiful husband who hides pain behind his sullen blue eyes. Instead, it’s Margaret who’s the boss, making demands but not hen pecking. She’s affirmative, solid, a woman who knows what she wants, and her husband respects that.
When the death of their son causes an unexpected turn of events, they must do whatever they can to get their grandson back…
Off they go, with a cooler of handmade sandwiches and Margaret sitting shotgun, a revolver under the seat. Immediately we know the way it might have been handled back east, in say, Boston or Manhattan. But this is Indian territory, and land with pride, life where family is everything at all costs. There are no lawyers and courtrooms. There are only guns and brawls.
Lane’s performance might just be the performance of her lifetime. Not since Unfaithful has she commanded such a film; because this isn’t a wife getting caught in an affair and eventually turning to her husband. This is a wife turning to her inner strength, wisdom and tenacity, her seasoned senses of right from wrong, and what must be by her own accord for the sake of her family. Her performance is in the vein of Sally Field or Sissy Spacek.
This is also a film for any woman who has had to fight for something against all odds. And when the credits roll, what Margaret endures to get it stays with you for a long while after.