"Those Who Wish Me Dead" (2021) | Sam Gall Movie Review Issue #174 Gem Mint 10
"Those Who Wish Me Dead" (2021)
Director: Taylor Sheridan
Writer: Michael Koryta (book & screenplay), Charles Leavitt, Taylor Sheridan
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Finn Little, Jon Bernthal, Aidan Gillen, Jake Weber, Medina Senghore, Tyler Perry
Rated: R for strong violence, and language throughout
Runtime: 1h 40m
Genre: Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller
Country: Canada | United States
Language: English
Available on: Various VOD platforms / HBO Max
"A teenage murder witness finds himself pursued by twin assassins in the Montana wilderness with a survival expert tasked with protecting him -- and a forest fire threatening to consume them all."
You might like this if you like: Action, Crime, Dramas, Thrillers, Nature, Taylor Sheridan, Michael Koryta, Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Finn Little, Jon Bernthal, Aidan Gillen, Jake Weber, Medina Senghore, Tyler Perry
Angelina Jolie in 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' (2021)
Thanks to my buddy Ryan for recommending this one.
This came out a few months before ‘Eternals’ did, but I was already feeling the Angelina Jolie come back (I don’t know if she ever actually left, but it just sorta felt like it for a minute) and this felt like the perfect movie to amp her back up and see her getting some more great work!
Medina Senghore (left) & Jon Bernthal (right) in 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' (2021)
I’m a huge fan of hers, but I’m also a huge fan of action thrillers, even cheesy ones, but this felt so different, visually and with slightly more of a message than your average action thrillers do, and just beautifully shot. I do think the location (whether it was mostly computer generated or live action) helped a lot with the visual treat that was the background for the film.
As Californians I think this film hits home for us pretty hard, and anyone else who’s been near a big fire like this one. It’s really not the leading point of the film, but I kind of like when it’s the subtle background and in a weird way hits you harder than maybe being so on the nose like say a documentary might do.
Aiden Gillen (left) & Nicholas Hoult (right) in 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' (2021)
It’s one helluva a fun ride on top of everything I just said. Angelina Jolie is so great! I really enjoyed Medina Senghore’s character, I’d never seen her in anything before but she was awesome. The rest of the cast was fun to watch; I do love all of the people I recognized like Nicholas Holt, Jon Bernthal, Aiden Gillen, Jake Weber, and Tyler Perry, even the kid played by Finn Little did a great job, but this is Jolie’s movie and that’s what I loved about it.
Written by Sam Gall on Dec 21, 2021
CGC Grading: Gem Mint 10.0
"Those Who Wish Me Dead has a tendency to veer into the over-sentimental and it has an ending that is heart-on-its-sleeve earnest. But this taut, contained story with well-directed action is as an effective thriller." - Wenlei Ma, News.com.au
"It's very very by the numbers, ticking all the genre boxes, and the cliches sometimes become too much, but it is what it is as popcorn entertainment doing a lot of subversive things around the edges..." - Mark Kermode, Kermode & Mayo's Film Review
"What really matters here is the style, the thrills, the suspense, and Sheridan keeps the pace swift and the dramatic stakes high." - Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
"This is a classic mid-budget, mid-quality, bonafide grown-up movie of the likes that have become increasingly rare ever since Marvel and DC began to dominate the big screen." - Audrey Fox, We Live Entertainment
Official Trailer:
Behind the Scenes:
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