Angelina relights our fire
‘‘ The forest fire chase scenes provide a suitably cinematic backdrop
THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD Cert 15 ★★★
In cinemas on Monday
There were queues outside beer gardens when the pubs reopened last month but what will cinemas look like on Monday? On paper, Oscar-winner Nomadland is the biggest draw for adults and that’s been streaming on Disney+ for two weeks.
So it’s down to Angelina Jolie to reignite home streamers’ love of the silver screen with this solid action thriller about a guilt-ridden firefighter.
Jolie plays loose cannon Hannah who has been transferred to a remote lookout tower deep in the forests of Montana, presumably after failing a psychiatric evaluation. While her fellow specialist firefighters enjoy macho banter on the frontline, haunted Hannah has been left alone with flashbacks of the day she “misread the wind” and watched three kids burn to death in a raging inferno.
She gets a shot at redemption when she crosses paths with 12-year-old Connor (Finn Little) who is on the run from the ruthless hitmen (Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult) who killed his accountant dad before he could expose a web of corruption.
When the assassins try to cover up their incompetence by starting a forest fire, the chase scenes have a suitably cinematic backdrop.
Director and co-writer Taylor Sheridan doesn’t fully develop the bond between the frightened boy and traumatised Hannah, spending too much time on a subplot involving Jon Bernthal’s cop and his pregnant wife (Medina Senhorne).
But the shoot-outs are tense, the scenery is spectacular and Jolie makes the most of her first action role since 2010’s Salt.
Those Who Wish Me Dead is a decent riposte to the commentators who have been predicting the demise of cinema.