They want me dead or alive11/7/2023 ![]() To help minimize injury to employees, structures and to prevent fires, these towers are grounded using copper wires. Since these towers are perched high on mountain tops they become a natural lighting conductor. The Forest Service has many lookouts and other facilities that are subject to lightning strikes. Hence it feels utterly contrived then when a lighting strike takes out Jolie’s radio, which is the whole point of the tower in the first place, and results in a pointless mini action set piece. I’ve not read Michael Koryta’s book, upon which the film is based, but I’m pretty sure he did enough research to know that fire lookout towers have to be protected from lightning strikes, seeing as they’re the tallest structure around for miles. Lightning Never Strikes Twice… or Does It? Which… brings us to the book and the plot contrivances. As the heavily pregnant yet still ass-kicking Melissa, Medina Senghore is arguably the more interesting character. Considering that the film never outlines it’s central macguffin (what actual secrets the killers are suppressing), everything learned in that time could have been established the moment Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult cross paths with Connor and his dad (the always reliable Jake Weber), leaving the film to play catch up with the time it has left. It doesn’t help that this time is also spent repeatedly establishing Hannah’s PTSD.ĭespite Jolie’s top billing, she doesn’t really feel like the star of the film, as she waits in her cabin for the plot to arrive, while Jon Bernthal and Medina Senghore take a far more active role. ![]() The entire first 20-30 minutes of the movie is spent setting up completely unnecessary exposition that leaves less time for everything else. While Those Who Want Me Dead ticks all the boxes for an enjoyable action thriller, the wheels come off the whole thing almost immediately. Also in the mix are local sheriff Ethan (Jon Bernthal) and his pregnant wife Allison (Medina Senghore) who run a local survival skills camp, and know Connor’s dad. He’s trying to escape from a pair of hitmen, Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult, who are out to bury his father’s secrets, along with anyone who gets in their way. While wallowing in self pity and switching between passive aggressive radio calls and soulful heart to heart’s on the satellite phone, Jolie’s Hannah comes across the blood covered Connor (Finn Little). These towers are dotted across the American wilderness to keep watch for forest fires before they rage out of control. Due to trauma from a recent forest fire (“troubled past”), she’s been grounded and assigned to a fire lookout tower for the summer. Jolie plays Hannah, a troubled “Smoke Jumper” whose regular job is to parachute into remote forest fires and help get them under control (“a unique skillset”). It’s got an isolated community where that kid ends up, pursued by those killers, where a washed up hero with a unique skillset and a troubled past might just give those killers a run for their money. ![]() It’s got a plucky kid who’s on the run from said killers. ![]() ![]() It’s got a got pair of ruthless, efficient killers who nonetheless have their own particular charm as villains. Those Who Wish Me Dead May may elevate the role of “Smoke Jumper” to action hero status but it also shares a lot of DNA with old action movies. When criminal’s plots would be foiled by Mountain Rescue Rangers ( Cliffhanger), Skydivers ( Drop Zone AND Terminal Velocity), and even chefs, if they had a particular sets of skills ( Under Siege). Back when Hollywood realized that action movies based around cops or soldiers were becoming stale and started looking further afield for their heroes. While watching Those Who Wish Me Dead, the new thriller starring Angelina Jolie and Jon Bernthal, I couldn’t help but think back to the action movies I used to rent on VHS as a teenager. ![]()
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