Sponsored by Narrow Gauge Cinemas
FARMINGTON – Sitting in the comfortable new seats at the Narrow Gauge Cinemas recently, I was taken away to the Montana wilderness. Adapted from Michael Koryta’s novel, “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” conceptualizes the fear of losing people and grief that surrounds loss.
Directed by Taylor Sheridan, the film throws the audience to the view point of a scared young boy, Connor, portrayed by Finn Little, escaping ruthless assassins who will stop at nothing to keep him from sharing information privy to the covert organization they work for. Scared and on the run, Connor encounters a helpful, albeit sassy, firefighter by the name of Hannah (Angelina Jolie) who is grappling with her own trauma. Connor decides to trust Hannah to help him survive before it’s too late.
While the film incorporates several characters with amazing chemistry and backstory, the pacing leaves these plot points too ambiguous, and at times confusing, to follow. Connor’s reasonings for being on the run are difficult to understand, including the motives of the calculated killers after him. The leaps from one character to the next leaves viewers with a disoriented narrative, one that is trying to showcase too many characters to draw sympathy from.
The movie does not succeed in the stance, leaving some characters like Connor’s uncle Ethan (Jon Bernthal) two dimensional, and lost, in the action scenes.
The film serves its purpose of an action thriller, with edge-of-your-seat action scenes and gut-wrenching suspense. It was an enjoyable experience, despite the confusion, with a surprising femalevenge twist.
