‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ is a 2021 neo-western action thriller directed by Taylor Sheridan and starring Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, and Aidan Gillen. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Koryta, who also helped write the screenplay.

Angelina Jolie portrays Hannah Faber, a veteran smokejumper positioned in a watchtower out in the Montana wilderness. She later runs into a young teenager, Connor Casserly (Finn Little) who’s on the run from two ruthless assassins who have already killed his parents. Unfortunately, all the communication equipment in Hannah’s watchtower was damaged during a lightning storm, so she decides to keep Connor with her as they make their way through the forest and get him to safety.

The assassins are Jack Blackwell and Patrick Blackwell (played by Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult respectively) who are also father and son. They cross paths with Sheriff Ethan Sawyer (Jon Bernthal) after he responds to a distress call from his pregnant wife Allison (Medina Senghore), while the two assassins were holding her hostage in their home. Jack and Patrick even set fire to the forest to try to either lure Connor out or just burn him to death. They will stop at nothing until he’s dead and will even kill any civilian who gets in the way without a second thought.

Each cast member plays their roles incredibly well. Finn Little’s performance as Connor stands out the most and is a great role to add to his already impressive resume, which also includes ‘Tidelands’ and 2019’s ‘Storm Boy’. His chemistry with Angelina Jolie really shows their development, from him not knowing if he can trust her after his traumatic experience, to them slowly bonding after seeing her determination to get him to safety.

Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult are very convincing in their villain roles, showing how ruthless and terrifying they are as they set fire to the forest and kill anyone without remorse. ‘The Punisher’ and ‘The Walking Dead’ star, Jon Bernthal plays his usual badass role as the sheriff caught up in the hunt, but unlike his more famous roles, he isn’t able to overcome the assassins, which also shows how highly trained they are compared to him. This allows Jon to show a different side to his character, as the assassins exploit his weakness by threatening to kill his wife and their unborn child, so they can use him and his experience in the woods to help them track down Connor.

The biggest surprise is actually the performance of Medina Senghore who plays Ethan’s wife, Allison. Even while the character is 6 months pregnant, she still shows how strong and determined she is, risking herself and her unborn baby as she attempts to hunt down the assassins and rescue her husband. The movie does a great job showing how grateful Ethan is to be married to such a strong and brave woman like her. Even though Medina doesn’t get as much screen time as the other characters, her role as Allison is still really inspiring and a real definition of a strong female character who will really amaze the audience.

This live adaptation of the Michael Koryta novel really shows the diverse acting range of each cast member. The story is simple and easy to follow, with lots of deep emotional scenes, as well as intense and exciting moments, all with amazing performances by the main cast. ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ is definitely a must-see for fans of action thrillers.

Written by: Sammy Hanson