Those Who Wished Me Dead

Synopsis: Still reeling from the loss of three lives, Hannah is a smoke jumper who's perched in a watchtower high above the Montana wilderness. She soon encounters Connor, a skittish boy who's bloodied, traumatized and on the run in the remote forest. As Hannah tries to bring him to safety, she's unaware of the real dangers to follow: two relentless killers hunting Connor, and a fiery blaze consuming everything in its path.

Movie Review:

“Those Who Wished Me Dead” is directed by Taylor Sheridan and is based on the book of the same name. This is an enjoyable action movie with a little bit of a western feel to it featuring an all-star cast. Angelina Jolie plays Hannah Faber a smoke jumper who fights wildfires but is traumatized after losing three lives to a Montana fire. She ends up fighting for her life by protecting a teenage boy from two killers left behind. I believe that this is Angelina Jolie’s best performance in a while. As a relatable, great protagonist from start to finish, she has the audience rooting for her to save this teenager up until the last scene. She forms an unlikely friendship with Connor played by Finn Little. Little’s character brings some humor to the film and his chemistry with Jolie is the heart of the movie as they play off one another in a natural way. The two killers in the film are played by Nicholas Hoult and Aiden Gillen and they are ruthless and frightening throughout. Jon Bernthal plays Marshall Ethan, but his character was one dimensional and lacked personality. (All of the characters in this movie are like that except for Angelina Jolie.) There are some incredible action scenes that take place especially the third act when Hannah is being chased by the killers while blazing a wildfire to entrap them – very intense to watch. Tyler Perry plays Arthur Philip the employer who hires the two killers and his character was wasted since he was only in one scene. The main problem with this movie is that it lacks substance and ends with a lot of unanswered questions. Even though this film reminds me of a 90’s action film, it was entertaining and has some talented performances from its cast. I am giving “Those Who Wished Me Dead” a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Director: Taylor Sheridan

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Jon Bernthal, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillan, Tory Kittles, Medina Senghore and Tyler Perry

Runtime: 100 minutes