Those Who Wish Me Dead: Plot, Cast, Reviews & Streaming

Taylor Sheridan built his reputation writing brutal, modern Westerns like Hell or High Water and Sicario. So when the Yellowstone creator stepped behind the camera for an honest-to-goodness action thriller set in the Montana wilderness, the result felt like a breath of fresh smoke-stained air. Those Who Wish Me Dead pairs Angelina Jolie with a 12-year-old witness on the run — and the tension never really lets up.

Release Year: 2021 ·
Director: Taylor Sheridan ·
Lead Actor: Angelina Jolie ·
Runtime: 1h 40m ·
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%

What is Those Who Wish Me Dead about?

Connor is a 12-year-old boy who has just witnessed something he shouldn’t have. When his father Owen — a forensic accountant — uncovers evidence implicating a powerful corporation in criminal activity, assassins are sent to silence the whole family. After a brutal ambush forces Owen off a Montana road, he pushes Connor out of the car with a flash drive and tells him to run. That’s where Angelina Jolie’s character enters the picture.

Hannah Faber is a smokejumper stationed at a remote Montana watchtower. She carries guilt over losing three lives in a fire, which got her demoted from active crews. After lightning strikes her tower and disables communications, she stumbles across Connor fleeing through the wilderness. Now the assassins — Patrick, played by Nicholas Hoult, and Jack, played by Aidan Gillen — are closing in while a forest fire rages around them both.

“A squarely traditional ’90s-style action thriller elevated by Taylor Sheridan’s propulsive direction.”

— Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus (Rotten Tomatoes)

Plot overview

The film draws from Michael Koryta’s novel of the same name, with the screenplay credited to Koryta, Charles Leavitt, and Taylor Sheridan. Hannah takes Connor under her wing despite her own trauma. Jon Bernthal appears as Ethan, Hannah’s ex-boyfriend and a police officer with survival training. Medina Senghore plays Allison, Ethan’s pregnant wife who proves decisive in the film’s climax when she kills Jack in a confrontation. The whole thing unfolds across Montana’s rugged terrain, with fire, pursuit, and survival at its core.

Key characters

• Angelina Jolie as Hannah Faber, the smokejumper with survivor’s guilt
• Finn Little as Connor, the 12-year-old witness
• Nicholas Hoult as Patrick, the calculating assassin
• Aidan Gillen as Jack, the brutal second pursuer
• Jon Bernthal as Ethan, survival instructor and Hannah’s ex
• Jake Weber as Owen, Connor’s murdered father

Is Those Who Wish Me Dead a good movie?

The Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer sits at 62% based on 224 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The Critics Consensus calls it “a squarely traditional ’90s-style action thriller elevated by Taylor Sheridan’s propulsive direction.” That’s a fair encapsulation — this isn’t groundbreaking cinema, but it moves.

Rotten Tomatoes rating

Most critics land somewhere in the “worth one watch” camp. Film Threat was less kind, calling Angelina Jolie’s performance “sleepwalking” and describing the plot as “slapdash.” Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian, however, praised Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult’s villain performances.

“Almost everyone in the film is in danger of being upstaged by the pair [Gillen and Hoult].”

— Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

The consensus seems to be: the action carries what the character development can’t quite deliver.

Audience reception

Audience scores on aggregators show moderate reception — viewers respond to the tense set pieces and Jolie’s star power, though the bond between Hannah and Connor draws mixed reviews. Some critics felt the central relationship was underdeveloped, while others appreciated its earnestness. The ending veers into what Rotten Tomatoes calls “over-sentimental territory,” but the edge-of-your-seat action helps cover the rough patches in its plot.

Did Taylor Sheridan write Those Who Wish Me Dead?

Taylor Sheridan co-wrote the screenplay alongside Michael Koryta (who wrote the source novel) and Charles Leavitt. He also directed, marking one of his few projects where he held both pen and megaphone. Sheridan is best known for writing Sicario and Hell or High Water, then graduated to directing Wind River before taking on this survival thriller. His fingerprints are all over the film — the Montana setting, the morally complicated characters, the focus on desperate survival.

Script origins

The film adapts Koryta’s 2014 novel, which Sheridan optioned and developed. The collaboration between Sheridan, Koryta, and Leavitt streamlines the book’s more intricate plot into something that moves at a sprint. Some reviewers compare the film to The Client (1994), though critics note that Those Who Wish Me Dead lacks that film’s fleshed-out central relationship and specific government-deceit details.

Director role

Sheridan’s directorial style here favors pace over philosophy. Where Wind River took its time building dread, Those Who Wish Me Dead runs. His experience writing action-heavy scripts for studios clearly informed how he staged the sequences — the cliff descent, the chase through smoke, the fire closing in from all sides. Whether directing or writing, Sheridan has carved out a lane in American cinema: brutal, landscapes-as-characters, morally gray.

Did Angelina Jolie do her own stunts in Those Who Wish Me Dead?

Reports from the production indicated Angelina Jolie intended to perform many of her own stunts. She trained with smokejumpers and reportedly spent time at real fire Lookouts to prepare. However, production constraints and insurance requirements meant she didn’t execute every physical moment unassisted. For the sequence where Hannah descends a cliff to reach Connor, a stunt double was used.

Stunt performance

Jolie’s action credentials are well-established from her Tomb Raider days, and she brings physicality to the role that grounds Hannah in something real. The smokejumping sequences required endurance and climbing, and Jolie’s commitment to authenticity shows even when a double was necessary for the most demanding physical work.

Training details

Preparation included real smokejumper training, visits to active fire Lookouts, and survival skills work. The Montana filming location provided authentic wilderness settings that informed the physical demands of the role. Reviews consistently note Jolie’s presence and commitment, even when divided on whether the performance itself fully lands.

Where to watch Those Who Wish Me Dead?

The film premiered theatrically and on HBO Max simultaneously on May 14, 2021, during the pandemic era. Today, the streaming picture has shifted: it’s not currently available on Netflix despite persistent rumors. Prime Video offers rental or purchase options for digital viewing.

Netflix status

Those Who Wish Me Dead has not had a confirmed Netflix run in the US market. Conflicting information circulates online about potential additions, but no official announcement from Warner Bros. has placed it on Netflix. Reports of removal often stem from confusion or wishful thinking rather than actual platform changes.

Other platforms

Prime Video remains the most accessible streaming option for rental or purchase. Physical media is also available — the Blu-ray release through Warner Bros. offers the film for collectors or those preferring disc viewing. iTunes, Vudu, and other digital storefronts carry the title as well.

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Angelina Jolie anchors the tense Montana thriller alongside a strong ensemble, as explored in the Finnish cast overview highlighting performers’ backgrounds and careers.

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