Rating of
2.5/4
Feel the Burn of a Mediocre Action Film
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/18/21
It has been awhile since Angelina Jolie has starred in an action-heavy film with Salt - way back in 2010 - really being the last, big one. Yes, the Maleficent films had some action, but the Disney origin films were more about CG than kicking ass. But she's back and also the best part of Those Who Wish Me Dead - playing a wilderness survival expert who finds herself in charge of a young boy, who himself is the focus of a dangerous duo willing to do just about anything to take him out - or at least the damning evidence he possesses. But despite a solid premise and some big-name stars, Taylor Sheridan's Those Who Wish Me Dead fails to ignite much excitement and is ultimately a bit of a letdown.
Our story is thus - Jolie is Hannah, veteran forest fire-fighting smoke jumper/survival specialist who is dealing with the fallout of losing a man, as well as some children, to the last big forest fire. She is still willing to pull stunts and hang with the men, but you can tell the loss is eating away at her. This is most apparent to Ethan, Hannah's ex and current deputy of the area, who still cares about her well-being even as he prepares to become a father with his new (and very pregnant) wife (Medina Senghore), . He's a bit rough around the edges, but just wants Hannah to move on - even though he knows this isn't an easy task.
On the other side of the nation, Owen (Jake Weber), Ethan's brother, realizes he is a target for some very powerful and very dangerous men and grabs his son, Connor (Finn Little) to make it to one of the few people he can trust. But his plan falls apart as hitmen Jack (Aidan Gillen) and Patrick (Nicholas Hoult) manage to stay one step ahead and intercept him before he can reach his brother. But before he faces the end, he manages to set his son free - with some very important evidence - and Connor eventually finds Hannah while trying to reach civilization. Realizing they have an open-end to close, our hitmen co-op Ethan while setting a fire in hopes one or the other can take care of their problem.
Those Who Wish Me Dead has some very good action scenes, including that raging fire and a cabin shoot-out, but it also suffers from a sever pacing problem as well as failing to create compelling characters. Really, aside from Jolie and Bernthal, almost no one else is given much depth. The bad guys are rote villains, there are some other disposable one-off characters and a lot of missed opportunities as far as I'm concerned. It takes way too long to get going and then it flames out in the end - much like the fire. I really wanted this to be a big action comeback, but it feels just like every other forgettable action film - you'll be lucky to remember it a month from now let alone years down the road.
