'Those Who Wish Me Dead' Trailer: Angelina Jolie Fights Fire And Assassins

After beginning his career as a bit-part actor, Taylor Sheridan made his name penning a string of bleak, neo-frontier, pseudo-westerns set in the modern age. Movie like Hell or High Water and Sicario. Jumping to the director’s chair, his output remains tonally and thematically similar thanks to the likes of Wind River. Judging by this trailer, his latest, an adaptation of Michael Kortya’s novel Those Who Wish Me Dead, trods familiar territory. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and this looks like a movie we will be very, very into.

Come on, this Those Who Wish Me Dead trailer has Angelina Jolie, a maudlin Johnny Cash song, grim action, an all-star goon squad, fire…what more do we need? We are certainly buying what Sheridan and company are selling here. 

[Related Reading: 'Wind River' Movie Review]

 

This fits comfortably in Sheridan’s wheelhouse as a filmmaker. There’s a desolate, sparsely populated landscape; gritty people dealing with lingering trauma compelled to confront the world, and themselves, by unexpected intrusions from the outside; crime. All the hallmarks are here. And again, not a bad thing in any way, shape, or form. 

[Related Reading: 'Unbroken' Review: An Incredible Story Made Dull and Bland]

 

Jolie plays Hannah Faber, a survival expert and fire-watcher keeping her head down in the Montana wilderness. When a teen witnesses a murder, she must protect him from a pair of assassins. And a raging forest fire. You know, no big deal. 

[Related Reading: 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Review: Worth Every Damn Second We Waited]

 

In addition to Jolie, Those Who Wish Me Dead has a great surrounding cast. Jon Bernthal shows up as a friend/colleague/concerned wellwisher. Tyler Perry looks to be in cahoots with the brothers. And the brother hitmen could easily have just been any-guy goons, but in this case Sheridan lined up Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen, which sounds awesome. 

[Related Reading: 'Sweet Virginia' Movie Review]

 

So, mark your calendars. Those Who Wish Me Dead lands in theaters and on HBO Max May 14.