‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ sees the return of Angelina Jolie leading a big-budget blockbuster, based on the 2014 novel by Michael Koryta.
Similar to writer-director Taylor Sheridan’s previous neo-western thrillers like ‘Hell or High Water’, the film juggles a number of different narratives; has many tense gun-toting stand-offs; and is all set against stunning open plains and deserted landscapes.
The movie revolves around the hunt for a son and his accountant father, who has discovered something that could get both of them killed. The pair go on the run and head for the safety of the Montana mountain region, where they have relatives. However, the ‘big bad’ has discovered their location and sends two fixers to the woods with a simple job – to kill anyone with the information. Hannah (Jolie) is a troubled firefighter who accidentally becomes the pair’s protector from these assassins.
Jolie plays a complex character: brave and heroic, but haunted by some past failure. Her character is a smokejumper, presently deemed unfit for service and assigned to a remote observation tower in the depths of the Montana woods.
Jolie clearly was lusting for another high-octane lead role. Similar to her role as Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider’, her character is pushed to the edge physically and is required to perform a number of high-risk action sequences. She delivers a very solid performance and is more than equal to the physical demands of such a role. However, the casting of Jolie in such a role was, I believe, a mistake and I could not commit to the idea that she was a beer-guzzling tomboy.
I’d hazard a guess that there are no female firefighters in the woods of Montana that can maintain a full face of makeup after a day of fighting fires and highly skilled assassins.
The film feels like a vehicle for Jolie and her character arc is its main priority, despite many moving parts and characters. This is unfortunate, as it has a fantastic cast of great actors such as Aidan Gillen, Nicholas Hoult, Medina Senghore and Jon Bernthal. Their backstories are merely hinted at and their screen time is very limited.
The script appears to have gone through a few rewrites, and shifts between different genres in the blink of an eye. Storylines are not fully explored or answered, which leaves more than a few loose ends by the time the film ends.
‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ has a high-class cast and features strong cinematography, highlighting the beautiful Montana region, yet I have to admit it was ultimately a disappointment for me. I expected more depth and emotion from the film, considering who the director is.
In my opinion, this is another traditional action thriller movie where you can almost guess every plot twist before it happens. Maybe I am being too cynical, as many movie critics have given the film glowing reviews. If you are looking for pure escapism with not a lot of surprises but a high-adrenaline factor, this won’t be a waste of 110 minutes and is a change of pace to the constant stream of comic book, CGI-packed action films.
‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ is presently showing at the Camana Bay Cinema and streaming on HBO Max.
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