Bullet Points: Those Who Wish Me Dead

When I heard the news there was going to be a spiritual sequel to Firestorm, I was curious. When I read Taylor Sheridan was directing, I was all in. Those Who Wish Me Dead arrives at your local movie theater and HBO Max this weekend. Let us find out if this is a fire worth burning or should we throw water on it and put it out of its misery. 

• The Fire: The film focuses on a smoke jumper, Angelina Jolie’s Hannah Faber. She is suffering from PTSD after she could not save some kids in a forest fire. Her chance at redemption for the soul comes when a 12-year-old boy, Finn Little’s Connor has a chance encounter with her. She becomes his last chance at survival as a couple of assassins are chasing him through the woods (Nicholas Hoult and Aiden Gillen). Guess what else happens? There is going to be a big fire! Who will burn? Who will live to tell the story? Will Howie Long have a cameo? 

• The Smoke: My biggest problem with Those Who Wish Me Dead is the performance from Angelina Jolie. She is dialed in like Bruce Willis in your not-so-favorite DTV action flick. She is zoned out to the max. This could be because her character is suffering from PTSD, but it does not help the entertainment value of the film. Her storyline is flat as a pancake. I enjoyed the subplot with Jon Bernthal and Medina Senghore. Jon is a cop and Medina is his pregnant wife. I cared a lot more about their arc. Connor, the little kid, is okay for a kid actor, but those who know me, know that little kids get on my nerves during R-rated action films. Connor did cuss like he is related to me, but he was not one of my favorite characters either. The bad guys are as vanilla as Vanilla Ice. Also, what in the holy hell of fires was Tyler Perry doing in this film? There are some plot holes that need to be filled. The film also felt rushed to me. 
• The Action: The action is okay. I expected a lot more from a Taylor Sheridan film. I wanted more depth and I wanted to care more. The action is watchable, but it is feels robotic and generic. There is nothing special about it at all. I kept wishing Howie Long would show up, but he never does. 

• Final Words: If you have HBO Max, go ahead and watch Those Who Wish Me Dead on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I would not rush out to a theater to see it. There are way more entertaining movies playing this weekend. I am willing to give Taylor Sheridan a mulligan for this one. I just hope his next film hits in all the right places. You can put the fire out on this one, Action Fanatics. We do not have a winner.
• Grade: C-