Those Who Wish Me Dead: Movie Review

"Those Who Wish Me Dead" had a lot of potential in our opinion and by the middle of the film, it became increasingly obvious that it was unable to sustain this at all. While Director Taylor Sheridan was able to maintain an upbeat and consistent barrage of intensity throughout the film's runtime, we just couldn't shake the fact that a huge amount of the film just didn't make any sense.

When Connor's (Finn Little) dad finds out that his boss was killed in a gas explosion at his home, he assumes that the worst has happened. He reveals to his son that he is a forensic accountant and that he and his boss has uncovered a scandal involving powerful people in the government. He decides to take his son to an old friend to keep him and his secret away from harm but on their way there, they are stopped by two assassins (Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen). Connor is able barely escape and is now running away through a thick forest. Meanwhile, Hannah (Angeline Jolie) is a smoke jumper who is still reeling from a failed rescue leading two three people's deaths. The path of Connor and Hannah meet and Hannah decidesto help the young boy as a possible redemption to her inner guilt.

A character in the film laments why they sent two men to do a job that needed double the manpower. And that were the same sentiments that we had from the get-go. Why skimp on your budget when you're able to move mountains to do an assassination ir you're able to start a huge wildfire like it was nothing. There's this sense of forced one-way narratives that just ruined "Those Who Wish Me Dead" for us. Not only in its story but a lot of characters make non-sensical decisions. Worse, the film vaguely and never revealed any of its major plot points. We never know who is behind the assasination. We know why there is a hunt to kill Connor but frustratingly we never get any specific details than just knowing that he has his father's secrets with him. At the end of the dy, we know this is a film and not a biography but we also expect a certain amount of believability and completeness in providing a story and "Those Who Wish Me Dead" just didn't have one. And what a waste because the other aspects within the film were competent. We loved how the sense of action, thrill, and foreboding sense of dread were constant and never-ending. It wasn't relentless but it was enough to keep us on our toes. The acting was also excellent with Finn Little as Connor stealing the show. We appreciate Angelina Jolie's quirky take on her character but to be honest, we just didn't like her character Hannah and we couldn't really be empathetic to her inner struggles. Overall, as a brainless, time-waster, "Those Who Wish Me Dead" is an easy candidate but expecting more meat from your action fix will leave you heavily-disappointed.

Rating: 2 and a half reels

Why you should watch it:
- the continuous sense of dread was exceptional
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Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the writing was all over the place