Angelina Jolie’s newest film is a gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Still reeling from the loss of three lives, Hannah (Angelina Jolie) is a smokejumper who’s perched in a watchtower high above the Montana wilderness. She soon encounters Connor (Finn Little), 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.
Angelina Jolie has a face worthy of the movies. It’s not just her beauty that draws people to her movies, it’s her physicality as well which is forceful and the overwhelming burst of charisma she brings to the screen. Now, as much as I adore Jolie, that doesn’t necessarily mean all her movies are good, however, Those Who Wish Me Dead gives her the proper material to shine onscreen again. Her role provides scope on PTSD, maternal warmth, and kick-ass survival skills – Jolie definitely knows how to weld an ax.
Directed by Taylor Sheridan, the movie has a pretty good pace, complemented by Brian Tyler’s excellent orchestral score. With Sheridan’s past films and his television work on Yellowstone, he places the characters on a huge canvas, requiring them to use all their resources to stay alive. This not only includes Hannah and Connor, who are the emotional center of the film as they gain each other’s trust, but also Ethan (Jon Bernthal) and his pregnant wife Allison (Medina Senghore) whose quick thinking gives the killers a run for their money.
The murderous set-pieces are handled quite efficiently, especially when the killers (played by Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen) close in on Hannah’s watchtower, then things get really intense once the climax puts her and Connor between the killers and the raging inferno. That unstoppable force of destruction is placed early on when Hannah and Connor are crossing an open field during a frightening lightning storm. I found myself on the edge of my seat during the final stretch as the blaze starts to close in, destroying everything it touches.
As for character development, it’s clear early on that Jack is the terrifying, seasoned assassin, while Jack acts like his apprentice. The film could have taken this dynamic someplace interesting, but fails to do so. Patrick’s hesitation to murdering kids and pregnant women could have been used to make him more human. With that being said, Gillen and Hoult did a great job.
The good guys definitely get more room to breathe, creating some tender moments between Senghore and Bernthal. This is the first American role for Australian actor Finn Little, who portrays Connor with the perfect balance between his stunning vulnerability and his desire to appear tougher than his age.
Overall, Those Who Wish Me Dead is an emotionally satisfying and gripping thriller to watch.
What did you think of the movie? Sound off in the comments.
Those Who Wish Me Dead is now playing in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
