Those Who Wish Me Dead

"I fucking hate this place"

     On immediate recall I can only think of 2 Angelina Jolie movies that I've seen: 2008s Wanted and 2014s Maleficent. She certainly has her own charm, a gaze that holds more than meets the eye. But with Those Who Wish Me Dead (what a title), that charm is dialed back for a more grounded, rugged version of Jolie. As many thriller ordourves as it delivers: guns, fire, action, and a grand central set piece, it's tone and characters feel a bit thin, while the hook of its premise is delivered as sort of an afterthought. Which is disappointing, because the films opener does a great job establishing the scope of the forest in which the film takes place. 

Source: Russh

     Parachuting into a hot zone, Jolie plays Hannah Faber, an EMT Paratrooper who gets dropped in to assess forest fires and those trapped in them. Haunted by a previous mission, she gets tasked with sitting up at a FireWatch Tower, overlooking the horizon for storms or any impending dooms (hint hint). We're introduced to her cheeky squad of comrades, none of which appear to have any names, nor have any real input into the plot. In a surprise casting appearance we have the great, underappreciated Jon Bernthal as chummy sheriff Ethan, and his tough as nails, survivalist wife Allie (Medina Senghore). For her part as a damaged medical worker, Jolie does enough with the tropes given to her. She's a bit wacky, but it's only to cover up her emotional scars. Bernthal, in his usual brooding prowess, is tied back a bit, more of a tender bear rather than a stalking lion.

      Elsewhere we have Owen Casserly (Jake Weber) and his son Connor (Finn Little). There are a couple of sketchy bad guys (Nicholas Holt and Aiden Gillen, respectively) who are after Connors dad for...something. Something with money. That's never really explained, rather used as a plot device to set up Connors path with Jolie, who gets her shot at redemption in protecting Connor from the goons with guns. For not knowing the kid of who plays Connor, he did a good job of expressing the weight of his experiences. 

The New York Times

     As you can see the characters and motivations are a bit thin here. Aside from the core cast, everyone else are essentially stock characters (really. I had to look up the cast to find out the character names of the bad guys, because I never heard them mentioned directly). Tyler Perry even has a small cameo, as the lead bad guy I'm assuming. He didn't have a name either, but he set up a meeting with our bad guys in the back of an industrial complex while he stares off in the distance. How mysterious.

     Thankfully the film uses all of these action clichés well, as it has some nice set pieces, and it doesn't hold back on the gunplay with formidable enemies. There's an ambush that helps tie some plot points together and gives us some nice spectacle, a sprint through a field during a lightening storm like a minefield, and of course the inevitable forest fire that engulfs our heroes. The latter left me hanging, as that doesn't really hold any significance until the finale, and is used more thematically rather than for action purposes. It looks great visually, smoke and ash filling the frame, almost putting our inhabitants on another planet, but ultimately it's meant more for Jolie to overcome her shortcomings. Even throughout, things in the forest are shot rather close to mid range, rather than giving us some grand vistas or wider open shots like in the beginning.

     The money and goon stuff felt a bit shoehorned, as the pacing kind of throws everything all of over the place. It attempts to be a mishmosh of thriller genres (environmental disaster, action, kidnap/rescue) but it all comes off a bit rushed. But with a good main cast and action to keep you engaged, it's worth a stream or afternoon out.

7 lightening strikes out of 10

But that's just my opinion. What do you think? Comment below and be a part of the conversation!