Taylor Sheridan’s name needs to be discussed more when it comes to some of the best directors and screenwriters working today. Excluding the two movies he’s directed, Sheridan has been the screenwriter from some of the best movies over the last 5 years or so. We all praise for Denis Villeneuve for his brilliant work as the director for Sicario, but that script by Taylor Sheridan is one of the sole reasons why that movie is as good as it is. The script for Hell or High Water is quite possibly his best script but it was really impressive when he stepped into the directors chair for the first time with Wind River, in which he also wrote the script for and also might be his best movie, when take his direction and writing all into account. He’s even shown some great work the sequel to Sicario, Sicario: Day of the Soldado and the hit TV show Yellowstone. In simper terms: Taylor Sheridan is a terrific talent that just gotten started and will continue to get more work in the future, based on how great his work is as a screenwriter and as a filmmaker. So, it’s not surprise that after critically beloved Wind River was, it was almost a guarantee that Taylor Sheridan would more work offered to him as a director and sure enough his next project, Those Who Wish Me Dead, hit theaters and on HBO Max last weekend. Taylor Sheridan’s Those Who Wish Me Dead may not have the depth of Wind River or any of his other movies that he’s worked on, but on its own terms, its gripping, action thrilled and its a powerful journey with much more spectacle than his previous work. Angelina Jolie delivers her best performance in years and it proves that Sheridan has a great eye for reviving a survivalist film and a Western.
Set in the beautiful state of Montana, Those Who Wish Me Dead focuses on a young boy named Connor (Finn Little) who has just witnessed the death of his father and then goes on the run from these two assassins who are still on the hunt for this kid because of information that the kid knows. Connor then stumbles upon Hannah (Angelina Jolie), a smokejumper that decides to get this kid to safety and the hopes that Connor that make a promise to his father just moments before his life was taken away from him.
As a filmmaker, Taylor Sheridan has such a beautiful gaze on capturing the beautiful land of Montana, the devastation of violent forrest fires and a appreciation for a slick and visceral modern Western. With this movie and Wind River, it’s abundantly clear that Sheridan has a passion for the Western genre and the best thing that can be said about his style towards this genre is that he doesn’t tell a conventional Western story in the sense of how it feels and it’s vibes. Those Who Wish Me Dead feels like a Western but at the same time it doesn’t feel like your standard Western and that’s because the movie goes beyond on what audiences would expect a movie within this genre. And considering that the movie is set in Montana, a state that Sheridan has deep love and passion for, Those Who Wish Me Dead is an arresting movie that serves as a great reminder how talented Taylor Sheridan when he’s behind the camera.
If there’s one thing that Those Who Wish Me Dead does better than Sheridan’s last directorial work is that this movie has much more spectacle and action set pieces. It’s not an action heavy movie by any means, but the scope and weight of this movie is full of monumental set pieces and thrilling action moments, whether it’s a brief shootout or a forest fire. It’s not always a great idea when a filmmaker/studios wants to go with the notion that bigger is better, but the bigger in Those Who Wish Me Dead surprisingly worked.
Angelina Jolie is one of the best actresses in the business. She’s an Oscar winning actress, coupled with a total of two Oscar nominations and she’s even competent when she’s the person behind the camera, particularly with the 2014 war movie, Unbroken. She’s given tremendous and entertaining performances in films such as Wanted, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Changeling. Her personal life aside, she’s a terrific actress and it’s sad she hasn’t had a lot of work over the last couple of years. Her performance in Those Who Wish Me Dead is subtle, earnest and incredibly powerful. It’s by far his best performance in years and it also is a great reminder how gifted of an actress she is. She also shares a genuine and very heart warming bond with the young Finn Little, whose relationship is the heart and soul of this entire narrative. The conflicts they have have grit, motivation and clarity, thereby making them significantly sympathetic. The rest of the ensemble are also quite great, whether it’s Jon Bernthal as the local sheriff or Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult as the two assassins, but the crux of this movie is the chemistry between Angelina Jolies and Finn Little.
Brian Tyler, one of the best film composers working today, creates one of the best sets of music he’s ever composed. It expresses the fragility and brokenness of the forest, while simultaneously capturing the heroic side of a firefighter. He’s balancing so many things at the same time, which creates a beautiful orchestra.
As stated earlier, Those Who Wish Me Dead may not have the weight and complexity of Sheridan’s previous work and I think that critics are inherently comparing this to his most recent movie in Wind River without judging it on its own merits. Those Who Wish Me Dead is a little shorter than it probably needed to be, but it’s another solid win for Taylor Sheridan. He’s got a great eye for creating characters, worlds and effective scenes of dialogue. Give me more, Mr. Sheridan.
My grade for Those Who Wish Me Dead: B+
Zane's take at the Cinema's 