Taylor Sheridan’s most recent film, “Those Who Wish Me Dead” feels like a throwback to an earlier era of Hollywood movies that faded away with the rise of the mega-blockbusters.
As movie budgets increased in scope regularly over $100 million, and with massive returns, the comparatively smaller $60 million films that used to make up most of Hollywood’s output couldn’t compete.
As they went, so did the interesting ideas and concepts that could get a good cast and crew to go with it.
This was all coming to mind as this film kept introducing great, successful actors in actual outdoor environments with no obvious CGI to distract you.
While Angelina Jolie is in fine form and gets the lion’s share of the marketing, the rest of the cast is no slouch. Aiden Gillen, Jon Bernthal and Nicholas Hoult round out the rest of the major cast really strengthens the whole movie. It was also the first time I had seen Medina Senghore, who performed strongly throughout the movie.
Not to mention a small appearance from Tyler Perry for about a minute as the bad guys boss.
The overall plot is nothing terribly original, but, for the most part, well-executed, which lets our cast of quality actors interact and play off each other. And the smaller scale allows characters and situations that show more interesting ideas than something as simple as “they fight now”. A particular highlight is the conflicts between Aiden Gillen and Medina Senghore.
Another great strength of the movie is the location filming. While nothing spectacular or flashy, it helps sell the movie as taking place in the real world with real people. And it so nice to see a movie that isn’t taking place on a greenscreen or a heavily controlled soundstage.
A large deliberately started forest fire helps set a sense of oncoming danger that forces the characters into more desperate and dangerous situations. It also provides a visually interesting setting for the climax, as the fire casts red light and shadow with ash and smoke everywhere.
Angeline Jolie is in fine form as a Smoke Jumper firefighter, while Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Holt play a pair of professional and lethal hitman. Jon Bernthal gives another good performance that makes me wish “The Punisher” on Netflix was still continuing. And young Finn Little did all the emotional work the movie asked of him, even if his dialogue sounds like an adult trying to write for a child.
A few versions of this closing paragraph existed, but they all sounded like I was damning with faint praise. Which does the movie and all within it a complete disservice. It’s a fun, interesting movie with several clever ideas brought to life by a talented cast with solid direction in a real location environment. It is one that I can solidly recommend, especially for people who have maybe tired of the over large movies that mark modern American cinema.