THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
There are some movies where you just sit back and enjoy what’s given. There is no better example right now than 2021’s Those Who Wish Me Dead.
PLOT
Based on the novel by Michael Koryta, the film takes place in Park County, Montana. It follows former smokejumper Hannah Faber who has been unable to cope with loss after failing to save the lives of three children and a fellow smokejumper during a forest fire. Since than, she’s been posted in a fire lookout tower. Forensic accountant Owen Casserly shockingly discovers that his boss died in what is reportedly a gas explosion. Knowing that this connects to a recent scandal he's uncovered, he and his son Connor. He is wise to get moving because he is pursued by assassins Jack and Phillip Blackwell, the same who killed his boss. Owen plans to hide himself himself and his son under the protection of his brother in law, Ethan who is a deputy sheriff. On the way, they get ambushed by the Blackwells who figured out their whereabouts from a picture of them with Ethan. Connor survives a car crash and moves forward into the woods with his now deceased father's evidence. As Ethan finds Owen's car, along with one that belonged with a murdered witness, Hannah encounters Connor in the woods and chooses to protect him. Despite being afraid at first, he chooses to trust her. The sibling pair of assassins get instructed by their superior Arthur Phillip to kill the boy. In order to keep the police distracted, they start a forest fire with flares. Hannah plans to call for help from her radio at her tower, but it is disabled due to a prior lightning strike. Before they leave the tower, Connor shares the evidence to Allison, which explains why he's being hunted. They intend to get to town but must turn back due to the fire blocking their path. The Blackwells find Ethan's home and attack his pregnant wife Allison. She is able to escape from their clutches after sending a code to her husband. When he gets there, his superior gets killed from a headshot and he is forced to track Connor. Unaware to them, Allison chooses to track them in return. When Hannah & Connor reach the tower, they hide when noticing Ethan (her ex boyfriend) with the assassins. They force the sheriff to scout the tower and see if anyone is up there. When they notice him talking to Hannah, they shoot him in the back. As Patrick chases Hannah and Connor into the fire, Allison catches up and shoots down Jack. She than stays with her husband at the tower. Hannah and Connor are able to get the jump on Patrick and when they injure him, they leave him for dead as he gets burned by the fire short after. They avoid the flames when jump into a stream and watch the forest get engulfed. By morning, the fire has burned out and there is mostly ash in what is left in the woods. Hannah, Allison and Connor survived the night but Ethan died from his wounds. As they get rescued from Hannah’s former smoke jumping team, they are taken outside the ashy area. As Connor intends to share his father’s knowledge to the media, the film ends with Hannah promising to be there for him.
THOUGHTS
I had low expectations for this movie and when having the opportunity to check it out on (HBO)Max during the month it was first released, I find myself surprised to say that I really enjoyed this one. I won’t exaggerate and call this the best thing from Taylor Sheridan but I find this one very entertaining to watch. I think the reason such a simple film like this is so entertaining is because within all the intensity that is displayed, this one was fun to get through. What I enjoyed a lot out of it was the lessons we learn from our main characters. Breakout Finn Little is pretty good as Connor. He is a frightened boy who does his best to be headstrong in his journey and focused on his goal to share the truth as his father would. During his journey, he sees how trust can be one of the most useful things the world has to offer, as long as it’s the right people that you trust. He also learns that doing the right thing can be scary and not always easy, but it's always worth it in the long run. Since he is still a child, there was no way he'd survive the nigth alone and a guardian angel was definitely in play. Angelina Jolie is just as great as she usually is and it was no exception when it came to playing Hannah. This was a character who was downright depressed after failing to save lives, unable to believe she could never forgive herself. When encountering Connor, he unexpectedly became her shot at redemption and she reclaimed her confidence as their journey progressed. With the bad out of the way, you can't help but smile that she'll still be there for the boy when things change for him for better or worse. This is another story to teach us you just can't doubt yourself because you're capable of doing more than you realize As I reach into the rest of the cast, I thought that Jon Bernthal and Medina Singhore were the best duo as Ethan and Allison. Their love felt genuine and neither of them held themselves back whenever things went bad. You expect that from Ethan because he is an officer but I was caught off guard seeing it from Allison. Like Marge from Fargo, she doesn't let her pregnancy get in her way of defending herself and confronting those who put her in danger, and that I find badass. As for the villains, I truly believe that Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen were a good pair as the Blackwells. Because the characters are siblings, they trust each other and got along well, which is what truly made them dangerous figures. And lastly, I won't overrate Tyler Perry but within his only scene, he still pulled off bringing the intimidation that Arthur Phillip is all about and it's a shame he doesn't get enough screen time for it to be more fleshed out. Even though this movie is pretty entertaining, I admit that there were multiple flaws that prevent me from calling it great. First off, how did Connor not have a broken bone from the crash? I don't want the kid to get hurt but since he didn't have his seatbelt on, it would seem realistic if his injuries were severe. Also, how did the Blackwells not have a second team as they were promised? I know that didn't matter by the end but if their boss really wanted to eliminate his threat, there should've been a second team as promised. It was interesting that the fire played some kind of factor but overall, I wished it had a stronger presence. I did not see the trailer before watching this film and because of that, I think some people must have been misguided on how integral it would be. And on top of that, what the hell did Owen uncover? I know it's supposed to be something bad but it's hard to be on the good side if we don't even know what the scandal is. Ignore all of this and you'll still have a ball. To wrap up, Those Who Wish Me Dead is a good action film recommended for those who enjoy a wilderness setting.
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