Those Who Wish Me Dead * * ½

Thematically, this is somewhat like Wind River, the last film that Taylor Sheridan wrote and directed, but unfortunately it builds on the worst features of that film rather than the best. 

Firefighter, Smokey Jo(lie)

Once again the lead role is dreadfully miscast so that everything she says and does looks false and contrived. Her name is Hannah and she is played by Angelina Jolie.  The opening five minutes featuring  her as the only gal with a bunch of toughened-up forest fire fighters is puerile. She and her smarmy mates come across as  a group of people that think they can be as mouthy, drunk, selfish, disrespectful, and unpleasant as they like because they "save lives".  

Meanwhile we meet a boy who's going to get lost in the forest after witnessing his Dad's misfortune.  A misfortune created by some very very bad men, who also wish the lad to be dead. He stumbles across Hannah and she gets all Mumsy and protective of him in a tough talking, dirty mouthed way.  So the evil men decide she can die too - and so can the local cop and his pregnant wife if they don't cough up the whereabouts of the boy.  These blokes really like to kill.

Like in Wind River the bad are really bad.  Utterly without conscience . The good (like the cop and his wife) are really good - her especially.  And then there is the Angelina Jolie role, and I don't really know what she is other than totally unbelievable. Mind you some of the stupid things she has to say and do for the story don't  help her. 

The good and interesting:  The location, it looks real.  The pacing: things move along quickly in this film. The cops wife (just see what she does, she's the real hero).  The evil men who are all the more interesting for being so one dimensional;  and the bush fire which is so impressive it'd probably be traumatising for anyone who has lived through such an event.