The trailer ads have been burning up the tube for Those Who Wish Me Dead showing a bit of each of the many action sequences and mostly those featuring Angelina Jolie. While the production is huge and probably the budget as well, the showing of the tale tends to be a lot different than what the trailer has to offer. That said I like the way the side stories all come together with one incredible explosion of fire and brimstone.
As the film opens firefighter Hannah (Angelina Jolie) keeps reliving a memory of what she thinks was a mistake that has stuck with her ever since. After acting out she has been assigned to a fire tower in a forest until she can pull herself together. In the meantime, Owen (Jake Weber) is on the run with his son Connor (Finn Little) from hired killers and they’re headed for the same forest that Hannah oversees. The two hitmen on the trail of Owen are cold blooded killers Jack (Aidan Gillen) and Patrick (Nicholas Hoult) and will stop at nothing to take out Own and his son as well.
The central characters all come together as Owen drives deep into the forest. Director and writer Taylor Sheridan (Oscar nominee for writing Hell or High Water) puts together an interesting premise. His characters are all related in their own way to the central plot, but come into play by happenstance. The stirring interaction of murder, flight from danger, wildfire, and opportunity to relieve conscience, make for a good show.
While Angelina Jolie is billed as the main actor, it’s the acting by Finn Little that makes the plot work. As Connor, Little finds himself the target running from the killers. Experiencing traumatic fear, not knowing who to trust and facing great danger, he makes his way through the woods. A very fine performance by the young man, as he holds his character together and makes it believable.
Those Who Wish Me Dead has been rated R by the MPAA for strong violence, and language throughout. The fire scenes look ominous and the disturbing chase scene is choreographed nicely. My star rating for those who like a good thriller is 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Medina Senghore, Tyler Perry
Directed and written by: Taylor Sheridan,
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, and language throughout
Running Time: 1 hr. 40 min.
Opening Date: May 14, 2021
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Released in: Theaters, HBO Max
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
