Those Who Wish Me Dead

Those Who Wish Me Dead
Starring Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen
Directed by Taylor Sheridan

The work of writer/director Taylor Sheridan is exceptional, as he's delivered some of the most thoughtful, compelling, full-on action films in recent memory, writing films like "Sicario," "Sicario: Day of the Soldado," "Hell or High Water," and "Wind River." He manages to capture both the human aspect of the characters as well as the action that happens around them by incorporating a nuanced sense of writing that's often downplayed at first but fully appreciated by the end, thanks in no small part to dedicated, acclaimed actors like Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro, Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner. "Those Who Wish Me Dead" is his latest outing in both writing and directing, and once again he draws in a hugely talented ensemble cast including Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Jake Wber, and of course the incomparable Angelina Jolie in the lead role. Honestly, I didn't hear anything about this film before going into it (much like I did with "Wind River"), and while I was stunned by the outstanding "Wind River," this one was just alright to me. There was too many different stories that occurred together that no particular character really stood out.

Hannah (Angelina Jolie) is a smokejumper who is struggling with PTSD after miscalculating the wind during a fire that resulted in the deaths of three young boys, and is now relegated to watching for fires at the lookout tower. Still full of passion and dedication, she maintains her job with fierce ferocity and a hard attitude, but there's a deeper sense of loss that she keeps experiencing. Meanwhile, in Florida, assassin father and son Jack (Aidan Gillen) and Patrick (Nicholas Hoult) are dispatching people associated with their boss, Arthur Phillip (Tyler Perry), who's an infamous mob boss. Fleeing to Montana with his son Connor (Finn Little), Jack hopes to reach his brother-in-law Ethan (Jon Bernathal), who is Hannah's ex. Along the way they're targeted by the family of assassins, resulting in Connor getting separated and on his own in the woods, where Hannah finds him. She tries to get him to safety while avoiding the assassins and the looming enormous fire that they started.

Among the pantheon of films written by Taylor Sheridan, "Those Who Wish Me Dead" easily falls on the bottom half of the list, due in no small part to the strong, dedicated performances, but rather the story it tries to tell. Hannah is struggling with PTSD after three young boys die in a fire that she was in charge of stopping, and we catch glimpses of these moments in her life, but she never really comes into her own with it, even when she deals with helping save Connor (who's about the same age as the boys) from the assassins and fire. Angelina Jolie is the heart of the film, and she performs admirably with the script that was given to her. She is wholly capable of drama and action in equal measure, and she showcases both here exceptionally. Her character is fun and lively, just one of the guys, who enjoys a good thrill as well as struggling with her past mistakes. She's gruff, tough, and no-nonsense, yet exhibits a tender side that's something only she can accomplish.

Then there's the father/son assassin duo of Jack and Patrick (which, in actuality, I didn't even know they were father/son until after the movie and reading about it, maybe it was mentioned in the film but I don't recall it), who are the most well-written out of everyone in the film. These two are unstoppable forces of nature, eliminating anyone in their path regardless of who they are, as they make their way from Florida to the wilds of Montana to eliminate their target, but even then it's kind of muddy as to why they're doing it. Sure, it's to appease a mob boss, but ultimately it doesn't make a lot of sense to leave a literal trail of blood right to where they're at. Still, they're incredibly adept at their job and leave no stone unturned, making them as relentless killing machines as the fire itself.

On top of that there's the other father/son duo of Owen and Connor, who again aren't really well-written enough to give them any emotional depth. We only learn late in the film that Connor watched his mother die of cancer, which is more a throwaway line than anything, and the two have very little chemistry to distinguish themselves as family as much as they could've been total strangers. Connor himself is very underdeveloped, serving more of a plot device than actual person.

Finally there's the story of policeman Ethan and his wife Allison, which is actually the most intriguing and well-written part of the film. Ethan and Hannah are exes, but you'd never know that if someone didn't mention it, and it seems it's all hunky dory between the three of them. Allison is pregnant and about to give birth in a few months, and you can really feel the sense of connection between these two characters. They're given the most emotional moments in the film and are both tough-as-nails, easily a couple you'd hope would've been the center of the film the entire time.

The film opens with an exciting shot of the smokejumpers in the fire, and that intensity is maintained throughout the film with thrilling house explosions, gunfights, and another wildfire that threatens everyone involved, showing the true nature and power of a fire as you witness it actually seemingly running down the cliffs at breakneck speed, instead of what most people think a fire is with a more static nature. Throw in the threat of two top-notch assassins and you've got a film that's chock full of action, even at the expense of a full story.

While his other films are more nuanced in their storytelling, Taylor Sheridan's "Those Who Wish Me Dead" is still a top-notch action thriller that spreads itself a bit thin with the storytelling but offers compelling performances by its A-list actors.

The Score: A-