Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) Review: A Survival Thriller About Trauma and Protection

 

Those Who Wish Me Dead | 2021 | 1h 40m
Genre: Drama / Thriller / Psychological / Action | Country: US
Director: Taylor Sheridan
Writers: Michael Koryta, Charles Leavitt, Taylor Sheridan
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Finn Little
IMDb: 6.0
My Rate: 7/10

Hannah helps Connor escape from assassins who want him dead while confronting the trauma that continues to haunt her.

Warning

Contains scenes of violence, murder, and alcohol.

 

Synopsis of Those Who Wish Me Dead

Hannah (Angelina Jolie) is a smokejumper whose job is to help protect forests from wildfires. However, she carries deep trauma from a past rescue operation in which she misjudged the direction of the wind, causing the fire to spread.

She was forced to watch three innocent teenagers become trapped and burn to death without being able to save them. Although the incident happened in the past, the trauma continues to haunt her and affects her confidence in her ability to do her job.

Meanwhile, Connor (Finn Little) and his father, Owen, a forensic accountant, are forced to flee from assassins who are hunting them. Owen realizes that they are in danger after seeing the news of his colleague's death on television.

He decides to take Connor to his brother-in-law, Ethan, a deputy sheriff in Park County and one of Hannah's colleagues.

Their journey does not go according to plan. The assassins find them, and Owen is seriously injured. Before he loses the chance, Owen gives Connor the evidence he has discovered and tells him to hide.

Connor manages to escape without being seen by the assassins, but his disappearance creates another problem. Their employer is furious and orders the assassins to find Connor and kill him.

Connor eventually encounters Hannah and asks for her help. After reading the letter Owen left behind, Hannah tries to take Connor to safety. However, a massive forest fire deliberately started by the assassins prevents them from reaching the town.

Will Connor and Hannah survive the assassins and the fire?

 

Review of Those Who Wish Me Dead

Those Who Wish Me Dead is adapted from Michael Koryta's novel of the same name. The premise is quite interesting, although the film creates some confusion with its title and central character.

The phrase "me" in the title seems to refer more directly to Connor, since he is the main target of the assassins. However, Hannah feels like the more prominent character in the film because much of the emotional story is centered around her trauma and personal struggle.

The main problem lies in the background of the conflict, which feels underdeveloped. Until the end, the film never clearly explains the exact source of the threat.

At the beginning, Owen tells Connor that he is a forensic accountant and has discovered a secret. However, we never fully understand what that secret is or exactly who would be threatened by its discovery enough to hire assassins.

Because of this, the motivation behind the entire pursuit feels weak. The "hunt" exists, but its underlying reason does not feel strong enough to make the audience fully invested in it.

Many of the characters' backgrounds are also introduced without being developed deeply enough. The film seems to want to explain many different things, but some of them never connect strongly to the main conflict. As a result, parts of the story feel like additions rather than elements that genuinely strengthen the central narrative.

The number of story threads introduced early in the film also makes the beginning feel somewhat slow. The tension becomes more noticeable once the actual chase begins.

Interestingly, the scene that feels more intense to me is not the central chase involving Connor, but the sequence in which Allison, Ethan's pregnant wife, fights the assassins while trying to survive.

At the same time, that scene raises its own questions. It can feel difficult to believe that a woman who is six months pregnant could ride a horse, shoot a weapon, and climb a tall tower while carrying a firearm.

Medina Senghore's performance as Allison is particularly impressive. Although Allison is not the main character, her presence is memorable and often more attention-grabbing than some of the central characters.

Angelina Jolie's performance as Hannah is good, but for some reason, Hannah's presence does not feel as strong as it could have been. There are still several aspects of the character presentation that could have been developed further.

One of the film's strongest elements is its portrayal of the massive forest fire. The fire looks remarkably convincing and creates a strong sense of danger. The makeup and visual details also adapt well to the different characters and situations.

Overall, Those Who Wish Me Dead has a clear and accessible storyline and remains worth watching, even though several aspects of the character backgrounds and main conflict could have been developed more effectively.

 

Memorable Scene

Connor's father, despite being seriously injured in the car accident, continues trying to guide and encourage his son so that Connor can hide and save himself.

This scene shows how parents can continue putting their children's safety first even when they themselves are in a critical condition. Even in his final moments, Owen's priority remains protecting his son.

 

Memorable Dialogue

"Are you someone I can trust?"

 
Ending

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation

Worth Watching

(Aluna Uwie)