Those Who Wish Me Dead: A Fiery Thriller That Fails to Ignite
Hannah (Angelina Jolie), a smokejumper, battles not only raging wildfires but also the demons of her past. Haunted by a tragic incident where she couldn’t save three teenagers from a blaze, she seeks solace in a remote fire lookout tower, contemplating ending her life. However, fate intervenes when she encounters Connor (Finn Little), a young boy on the run from ruthless assassins (Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult) who have already murdered his father. Connor’s desperate flight leads him to Hannah’s tower, seeking refuge in the wilderness. Meanwhile, the killers turn to the local sheriff (Jon Bernthal), a friend of Connor’s family and Hannah’s ex-boyfriend, attempting to extract information about the boy’s whereabouts.
Angelina Jolie as Hannah in “Those Who Wish Me Dead”
Sheridan’s Signature Style, But Lacking Spark
“Those Who Wish Me Dead” marks the third directorial venture of Taylor Sheridan, a celebrated screenwriter renowned for his gritty neo-Westerns like “Hell or High Water,” “Wind River,” and “Sicario.” The film seemingly incorporates all the hallmarks of Sheridan’s distinctive style: the desolate landscapes of rural America, seemingly frozen in time (the story is set in the present day, but could easily take place 50 years ago with only the weaponry of the villains changing); the theme of an ordinary individual confronting an overwhelming, organized evil (as seen in “Hell or High Water” with its critique of the banking system, or “Sicario” with Emily Blunt caught in a web of CIA machinations; here, people are murdered due to high-stakes government conspiracies); and, of course, the cold cynicism of the action sequences. There are even subtle parallels, such as someone threatening Jon Bernthal’s love interest, reminiscent of “Wind River.”
Angelina Jolie as Hannah in “Those Who Wish Me Dead”
A Disconnected Sum of Its Parts
While all the familiar elements are present, they somehow fail to coalesce into a cohesive whole under Sheridan’s direction. Instead of a taut, suspenseful thriller, the film devolves into a generic action flick reminiscent of the 90s, which even then wouldn’t have garnered much acclaim. The issue, hopefully, stems not from Sheridan’s creative burnout, but from the source material – Michael Koryta’s eponymous novel – which struggles to fit within the constraints of a mere 100-minute runtime.
Angelina Jolie as Hannah in “Those Who Wish Me Dead”
The screen is constantly filled with activity, and the narrative rushes forward, struggling to keep pace with all the characters. Jolie and the young boy embark on a familiar “road movie” dynamic, Bernthal and his wife dream of a happy future, and the two cold-blooded killers systematically eliminate anyone who stands in their way (Nicholas Hoult excels as a ruthless sociopath, a role he seemed destined for since “Mad Max: Fury Road”). While there’s plenty of action to prevent boredom, “Those Who Wish Me Dead” desperately lacks the breathing room and somber contemplation that characterized Sheridan’s other works.
Fleeting Moments of Brilliance
The film’s best moments are when it deviates from the main plot, showcasing the everyday lives of the characters or delivering brief but impactful action sequences. For the rest of the time, we are subjected to tired dramatic tropes: Jolie’s character, isolated in the fire tower, grapples with past trauma (a theme explored more effectively in the game Firewatch), Bernthal strives to protect his pregnant wife, and a raging forest fire looms in the background – a silent force of nature capable of both destruction and purification. Ultimately, the fire consumes all evil and metaphorically revives the protagonist. While these ideas are beautifully conceived, their impact is diminished by the subpar CGI rendering of the flames.