Don't Let Go [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Director: Jacob Aaron Estes, Jacob Estes Jacob Aaron Estes

Overview

Written and directed by Jacob Estes, this mystery thriller sees two alternate timelines collide. One day, Detective Jack Radcliff (David Oyelowo) receives a traumatic phone call from his niece where he hears screaming and gunfire. Going over to the property, he finds his brother, sister-in-law, and niece Ashley (Storm Reid) all murdered. In a surreal twist of fate, his niece calls him soon after her death appearing to still be alive, only existing on an alternate timeline two weeks prior. It is up to Jack to talk her through the coming days to save her and her family's lives.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/26/2019
UPC:	0191329120835
Original Release:	2019
Rating:	R
Source:	Universal Studios
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00
Sales rank:	31,806

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

David Oyelowo	Jack Radcliff
Byron Mann	Detective Roger Lee
Storm Reid	Ashley
Mykelti Williamson	Bobby
Alfred Molina	Actor
Brian Tyree Henry	Actor
Shinelle Azoroh	Susan
April Grace	Sergeant Julia Rodriguez
Omar Leyva	Property Officer #1
Sarkis Ninos	Property Officer #2
Ray Barnes	Reverend Ray
Ethan Gold	Composer

Technical Credits

Jacob Aaron Estes

Jacob Aaron Estes	Director,Screenwriter,Director,Screenwriter
Jason Blum	Producer
Bobby Cohen	Producer
David Oyelowo	Producer
Jeanette Volturno	Producer,Executive Producer
Couper Samuelson	Producer,Executive Producer
Eric B. Fleischman	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

A man loses his family in a double murder suicide. Haunted by his loss, he wishes that he could undo all of it. In Don't Let Go, Detective Jack Radcliff (David Oyelowo) gets that chance. Jack enjoys a tightly-knit bond with his niece Ashley (Storm Reid). During hard times, the young girl turns to her uncle as opposed to her parents. It's Uncle Jack that she finds solace and safety in. When Jack finds the entire family brutally murdered, the tragedy cuts him down and he finds himself a shell of a man. Being that the victims were his relatives he's not only barred from investigating, but also becomes entangled in an Internal Affairs investigation into his involvement with the murders. To complicate matters, a strange thing happens to him. His cellphone rings, and Ashley's image appears on the screen. With confusion furrowing his brow and pain creasing his face, he wonders how it's possible that his dead niece is calling him. When he picks up the call, he's bewildered that it's the voice of his deceased niece. When he talks to her, he establishes that she's in the past, days before the murder. With the stakes set and the clock ticking, viewers follow Jack in his pursuit for answers both about the murders and how he can use this supernatural connection with Ashley to prevent her death. Connecting with the deceased to save a loved one's life is a thought-provoking premise. Written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, Don't Let Go shares a similar premise with Frequency (starring Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid). It also echoes Christopher Nolan's Memento, where both films are driven by the mystery of piecing together a fractured narrative. Estes manages to transport the concept into the fray of a corrupt Los Angeles police department. In particular, it's enjoyable to see how Jack uses a detective's inferential skills to figure out the dynamics of how to save Ashley from being killed. The problem is that there's not much of a question over whether or not Jack is insane. This lack of tension exacerbates a particular problem: the movie spends too long showing the audience how Jack figures out the logic of the temporal anomaly. Aside from the plot, Estes does attempt to give his film some shape. Scoring the movie with a synth organ to evoke a hymnal tone, there are a few moments that are elevated. It's a shame though that the visual style of the film isn't as remarkable. Equally plain is the overall performance of the two lead actors. While Oyelowo's acting is solid, he overshadows Reid. The result is that audiences don't quite feel the dramatic impact that's needed to convince audiences of Oyelowo's performance. Fans of murder conspiracies driven by corrupt policemen may find the time-bending premise an interesting twist. But, Don't Let Go doesn't take full advantage of the unique premise, and there's much room for improvement.