Taylor Sheridan has been one of the most reliable writers of thrillers for some time now, punching out the likes of Sicario, its sequel, and Hell Or High Water. Lean, muscular thrillers that could have ported in from the ’70s, populated with economically sketched characters and actions that speak louder than words.
The excellent Wind River saw him transfer that particular set of skills to the director’s chair, and as if to prove it’s no fluke, along comes Those Who Wish Me Dead (or ‘Fire Forest’, if you want to continue the pattern established by that previous film), an old-school humans versus the elements gripper crossed with a brutal tale of hitmen out for blood. Almost unbearably tense at times, it’s the kind of film best seen on a big screen, surrounded by people (full disclosure: Empire watched the film on a small screen). In that regard, it’s timed its run to perfection.
It’s also proof positive, along with the upcoming Nobody and Freaky, that studios (Warner Bros. in this instance) do still make mid-budget thrillers. Let’s hope they do as well as can be, commercially, so that continues to be the case.
The economically-sketched characters, then. There’s Angelina Jolie, keeping her comeback cooking nicely, as Hannah, a fire marshal haunted by A Tragic Past and Occasional Flashbacks, who is scheduled to spend a few months up a pole in the Montana wilderness (and yes, that makes her Hannah Montana). Jon Bernthal as the local cop, a survivalist worried about his pregnant wife (Medina Senghore). Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen as a pair of hitmen siblings, relentlessly stalking their prey. And Finn Little as that prey, a bewildered, 12-year-old kid, running for his life for reasons he doesn’t fully understand.
An old-school humans versus the elements gripper crossed with a brutal tale of hitmen out for blood.
Sheridan takes his time positioning these pieces before pressing the button marked “sweaty mayhem”. In particular, he cranks up the tension by keeping the audience several steps ahead of his heroes. We know, by the time the brothers Blackwell arrive on the scene in Montana, that they are resourceful and organised and lethal and won’t think twice about popping a bullet into someone no matter how high they’re billed. So, when he brings them into close contact with characters to whom you’ve become attached, the screws tighten.
However, with his key characters separated at first by the vastness of the Montana landscape, it has the unfortunate effect of sidelining the excellent Jolie, who is on her own for much of the first half of the movie. In fact, so removed is she from the initial story set-up that some action beats — Hannah leaping around to avoid random lightning bolts — feel as if they’ve been tacked on to give her something to do.
Unnecessary, as it turns out, for when these six characters finally converge, hemmed in by a massive forest fire, she gets plenty to do, anchoring a nicely unsentimental partnership with Little and reminding us that her action hero credentials are still very much intact. It’s in this second half that Sheridan further tightens the tension, and adds a welcome emotional kick, with some unexpected developments keeping his heroes constantly on the back foot. Only in the last ten minutes do things start to play along expected lines (though fans of Michael Koryta book upon which it’s based might be wrong footed from time to time), but otherwise this reinforces Sheridan’s credentials as the king of the modern thriller. Can’t wait for 'Water Mountain'.