14 May Those Who Wish Me Dead Review

THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD

dir. Taylor Sheridan, starring Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aiden Gillen, et al

Those Who Wish Me Dead follows a boy who witnesses the murder of his father and goes on the run in the Montana wildnerness to escape a pair of assassins hired to silence him.

Writer/director Taylor Sheridan, who rose to prominence after his amazing screenplay for Sicario, continued on his hot streak with Hell or High Water and Wind River (which he also directed). Sheridan has helped lead the crusade in slowly reshaping the face of American Westerns, using contemporary storytelling to bring life to the genre that had been previously considered dead for years. Using wide expansive landscapes, dirty downtrodden characters, and a healthy measure of loneliness and isolation, Sheridan has perfected a subgenre within Westerns that is a veritable gold mine waiting to be explored.

With Those Who Wish Me Dead, we enter the world of a Montana smokejumper named Hannah who’s forced to take care of a kid who’s being hunted by a pair of professional killers. Taylor has previously cited his wish for absurdly simple plots to focus on character, and never before has such a statement rang true. Unfortunately, the plot feels almost too simple, in a way that boarders on laziness. Deciding instead to focus on character, the audience is treated to a redemption story as Hannah fights to keep Connor safe and alive. Who these killers are and why they’re after Connor and his father is never really explored or explained; the audience is asked to just enjoy the ride and not focus too much on the why.

Acting wise, it’s refreshing to see Jolie return to a genre that she’s been absent from for just over a decade. In the years since, Jolie’s turned to directing and voiceover work, with a few dramas sprinkled in. Here in Those Who Wish Me Dead, Jolie is in fine form, playing the smokejumper Hannah as she struggles to reconcile with being placed in an occupational Sophie’s Choice. The consequences of her decision haunt her throughout the film as she spirals into an increasingly reckless pattern of life, eventually ending up secluded in an isolated radio tower used to keep a lookout on the scenery. Jolie handles the role well, playing tortured soul without hamming it up, and the small bits of flashback we’re privy to paint a picture that makes Hannah’s grief believable.

Finn Little also does an excellent job as Connor, the tough kid on the run from the pair of killers. His chemistry with Jolie is enjoyable and fun to watch as she takes on the role of his protector, doling out advice on both how to survive the forest fires and how to pick up girls. Jon Berenthal, while not given as much screen time as the others, still brings his usual gruff charm and likeability to his role as Ethan, one of the police officers in town. With that scant time, we see layers to Ethan as he gives Hannah some tough love, but also shows his softer side off duty with his wife. His best scenes comes when paired with Hoult and Gillen, giving us the performance audiences have come to expect due to his previous roles.

For me, the main highlight of the film, are the performances of Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen as Patrick and Jason Blackwell. Not much information is given about the killer brothers, but both actors play the parts wonderfully. Incredibly well written characters, the pair are never hammy or over the top in their pursuit of Connor; their plans are methodical and well laid out. They improvise well, they work together as team, and due to that, they come across as ruthlessly competent and legit threats that give the movie a good bit of heft.

While solidly directed by Sheridan, Those Who Wish Me Dead lacks the bleak punch of Wind River or the romantic setting of his television show, Yellowstone. Choosing to set his story in Montana, a state rife with beautiful scenery, we’re treated to many expansive, wide angle shots of the lush greenery of untouched forest. The deep greens are contrasted harshly by the angry orange of the trees on fire throughout the third act. The stunning visuals help to distract from the paper thin story presented by Sheridan.

Overall, when stacked up against Sheridan’s other directorial efforts, Those Who Wish Me Dead is one of his weaker outings. While pretty to look at it, the film isn’t quite substantive, telling a standard beat by beat action story. Good action scenes aren’t quite enough to balance out the thin story and shoddy exposition. This is a film that’s best viewed on a weekday after work when all other options have been exhausted. Those Who Wish Me Dead is now available in theaters and on HBO Max.

Review by Darryl Mansel