Hannah Faber is a smokejumper whose world falls apart after a fire kills three young campers and a fellow jumper. In Those Who Wish Me Dead, she meets Connor Casserly, a boy whose father was killed and who now runs from two assassins hired to finish him. The film wants to be a tense chase thriller set in the Montana wilderness, but it settles for a slow, repetitive slog.
Taylor Sheridan directs from a screenplay by Michael Koryta, Charles Leavitt, and himself. The film is based on Koryta’s novel of the same name. It stars Angelina Jolie as Hannah, Finn Little as Connor, Jon Bernthal as Ethan Sawyer, Nicholas Hoult as Patrick Blackwell, Aidan Gillen as Jack Blackwell, and Jake Weber as Owen Casserly.
Trailer, via Warner Bros..
Connor’s Escape
Connor watches his father die and flees with him to Montana. His uncle Ethan Sawyer, a deputy sheriff, is supposed to offer shelter. Instead, the assassins ambush them on the road and push them over a cliff. Owen gives Connor evidence against the killers’ boss before dying. Connor escapes the wreckage and wanders into Hannah’s patrol route.
Lightning fries Hannah’s communications gear, cutting her off from help. She takes Connor to her fire tower, trying to call for rescue. The assassins find their boss, who orders them to hunt Connor down.
Fire and Ambush
To draw the police away, the assassins use flares to start a forest fire. They break into Ethan’s house and hold his wife, Allison, hostage. She gives Ethan a duress code before fighting back and escaping. The killers then ambush Ethan and the sheriff, killing the sheriff and forcing Ethan to lead them through the woods.
Hannah tries to bring Connor to town on foot, but the fire cuts them off. The film spends long stretches showing Connor hiding in the woods while Hannah watches over him. The tension should build, but it mostly stalls.
Comparing the Two Leads
| Character | Role | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hannah Faber | Smokejumper protecting Connor | Strong physical presence | Thin emotional arc |
| Connor Casserly | Boy running from assassins | Genuine fear | Overwritten dialogue |
Jolie brings weight to Hannah, but the script does not give her much to say beyond watching over Connor. Little is fine as Connor, though his lines grow increasingly heavy-handed as the film goes on.
Where It Falls Short
The film’s biggest problem is pacing. It runs 100 minutes, but it feels longer. Scenes repeat themselves, with Connor hiding and Hannah waiting for rescue to arrive. The fire serves as a deadline, but the film rarely raises the stakes around it.
Sheridan is better at slow-burn dramas than fast ones. Here, the slow burn drags without ever catching fire.
Final Word
Those Who Wish Me Dead is a solid, if flawed, thriller. Jolie and Little anchor a script that loses focus in its middle stretch. The wilderness setting and the fire offer real menace, but the film never quite matches them.
The film premiered on May 5, 2021, in South Korea, and was released in the United States on May 14 by Warner Bros. Pictures under the New Line Cinema banner, both in theaters and digitally for one month on HBO Max. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $19 million worldwide.
Score: 5.9/10.
- Release: May 14, 2021 (US), May 5, 2021 (South Korea)
- Director: Taylor Sheridan
- Cast: Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Jake Weber
- Runtime: 100 minutes
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