Don't Let Go

For nearly an hour, Don’t Let Go overachieves and gives viewers hope that it might actually make its wacky premise work.

While LAPD Det. Jack Radcliff (David Oyelowo, Selma) attempts to solve the gruesome death of his brother Garret (Brian Tyree Henry, Widows) and family with aid from his suddenly not-yet-slain niece Ashley (Storm Reid, A Wrinkle in Time) — who can magically call her uncle from another timeline, hours before the murder — the absurdity of the situation fades as the film transforms into an emotional race against time.

In tandem with the strong performances from all three recognizable stars, the intriguing writing and sufficiently exciting direction from Jacob Estes (Mean Creek) is also enough to attract the high-wattage talent of Alfred Molina for a day of work as Jack’s superior officer and Mykelti Williamson (Fences) as a trusted colleague.

But once answers regarding the mystery begin to arise, Don’t Let Go devolves into a cliché-filled final stretch, complete with lengthy Bond-villain exposition, in which the antagonist’s drawn out, violent actions come off especially cruel and empty. It’s a lousy end to what had been a promising handling of strange material — and lands with too much of a thud to warrant recommendation.

Grade: C. Rated R. Now playing at Biltmore Grande

(Photo: OTL Releasing)