I can't stand it when a movie gives up its own rules.

Unfortunately, Never Let Go drops the ball, along with the bloodstained machete, just when it should be ramping up the tension.

ever Let Go never manages to answer any of a number of recurring questions adequately, and the movie makes no more sense than one of those head-scratchers by M. Night Shyamalan, which it annoyingly resembles.

The performances, big ideas, overwhelming dread, and psychological horror make Never Let Go worth the watch, although the resolution left me unsatisfied.