9/23/2023 0 Comments Those who want me dead![]() ![]() Even the smallest roles in the film feel lived in. There are some intriguing histories at play here, and while I would love to learn more about their backstories, the film’s dedication to the present moment in these people’s lives keeps the story in high gear. It grants us a window into the lives of these people but not the full story. Those Who Wish Me Dead is lean on characterization. It’s a film as successful at making you care about the characters as it is at putting them through hell. ![]() None of this would work if we were not invested in their fates, due to the skill of the actors involved. (That the fire Hannah and Connor contend with is manmade isn’t lost on me.) This beauty is intertwined with some truly bracing action sequences, where nature and other people are often working against the characters. There is beauty in these moments, but beneath it is an understanding of the power of nature and its fragility in the face of human destruction. Sheridan and his cinematographer Ben Richardson treat the natural surroundings with a sense of awe that demonstrates the forces working against the characters: Flames lick the sky, eating through everything in their path there are rolling verdant hills water flows through crystalline blue creeks, oblivious to the horror just at their edges. Its pleasure comes through its striking visuals and the way they lend tension to the story. This may sound a bit tangled, but the film is in fact quite simple in narrative design, which is all for the best. The two bond as they evade the assassins, who start a massive fire to cause confusion. Owen is murdered by the assassins, and during a frantic quest to survive, Connor crosses paths with a Montana smoke jumper, Hannah (Jolie), living in a fire tower. He sets off with his young son, Connor (Finn Little), to acquire the help of his former brother-in-law, a sheriff named Ethan (played by the always powerful Jon Bernthal) in Montana. A mysterious group of powerful people, who want to keep that information hidden, hire two hired assassins, Jack (Aidan Gillen) and Patrick (Nicholas Hoult) to track down Owen. A forensic accountant, Owen (Jake Weber), finds and reports on something he was never supposed to see: a news report concerning the district attorney, who has been killed in an explosion. On paper, the plot sounds a bit much, but bear with me. ![]() The film begins somewhat jaggedly, bouncing between Montana mountain ranges and the Florida coastline, as it sets the stage for the violence that follows. Some of the most affecting compositions in Those Who Wish Me Dead study the planes of this famous face, charting the ways it can communicate yearning, sorrow, and a devil-may-care destructiveness with clear-eyed sincerity. Most important, it proves once more why Jolie is a star. The neo-Western inflected work is a lean, engrossing, action-packed shot of adrenaline that is striking in its aesthetic decisions and boasts some exceedingly fun turns from its actors. But his first directorial effort, Wind River, betrayed some uncomfortable racial politics in its choice to focus on white leads (in a film concerning a murder on a reservation) and did not suggest anything particularly interesting about his visual and narrative perspective as a filmmaker. Sheridan, creator of the hit series Yellowstone, has been involved in work that piques my interest, including as the writer of Sicario and Hell or High Water. (The film was also written by Charles Leavitt and Michael Koryta, based on the latter’s book). Going into Those Who Wish Me Dead, I was curious more than anything, especially given the involvement of Taylor Sheridan as a co-writer and director. Which is why it was so thrilling to see her given a proper vehicle onscreen again. It’s frustrating to see one of Hollywood’s most fascinating stars often cast in lackluster work. For every film of hers I adore (like her directorial effort By the Sea), there are countless others that don’t rise to the level of her stardom or skill. Yet, for all her screen presence, Jolie doesn’t guarantee a good movie. It’s her physicality, which is forceful in a way that belies the thinness of her frame, and the overwhelming burst of charisma she brings to the screen. ![]() It’s her famous pout, which can devastatingly unfurl vulgarities and compliments with equal aplomb. It’s those green eyes, which can go from communicating anger to desire imperceptibly. Angelina Jolie has a face made for cinema. ![]()
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