Those Who Wish Me Dead

UK Release Date. 17 May 2021
Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hour 40 mins
Director. Taylor Sheridan
Cast. Jon Bernthal, Aidan Gillen, Nicholas Hoult, Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Medina Senghore.
Rating. 35%

Review.

I was drawn to Those Who Wish Me Dead, the second film directed by Taylor Sheridan, as a result of Sicario and Hell Or High Water. Taylor Sheridan wrote the screenplay for both films.

In Those Who Wish Me Dead Angelina Jolie plays Hannah Faber, a hardened, mentally scarred firefighter based in the Montana mountains. Yes, she really is Hannah, Montana. There's little back story or character development. Jolie has scant to work with, she's traumatised by the memory of a recent forest fire that has pushed her character to the brink of suicide. That's it. That's your lot.

In some ways, Those Who Wish Me Dead is reminiscent of the mid-budget action-thrillers of the 1990's, such as CliffhangerThe River Wild or Broken Arrow. Reminiscent yes, but nowhere near as memorable. Those Who Wish Me Dead is sadly disappointing and eminently forgettable.

The real stars of the film, albeit all too briefly, are the US Forest Service smokejumpers. More screen time for the rest of Hannah's crew would have certainly benefitted the film in my opinion.

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