Directed by Taylor Sheridan, “Those Who Wish Me Dead” is an American action thriller film released in 2021. Starring Angelina Jolie, the film shows a very average display of anything, be it empathy or chemistry between characters. The screenplay, crafted by Michael Koryta, Charles Leavitt, and Sheridan, is an adaptation of Koryta’s novel of the same title. The story revolves around a young boy who witnesses his father’s murder and seeks refuge in the Montana wilderness with a smokejumper to evade two hired assassins. The movie also features Jon Bernthal, Medina Senghore, and Jake Weber, who tried their best to keep up with the pace of the film. Spoilers Ahead!
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film starts with Hannah Faber, a smokejumper, remembering her guilt following her inability to save three young campers in a forest fire. She even lost a fellow smokejumper during that fire. Hannah thinks that she could have saved their lives, whereas, in reality, there was no chance of saving their lives. She’s stationed in a fire lookout tower situated in Park County, Montana. Sometimes she still gathers those visions from the past and cries over her mistakes.
Later we see two men bomb the house of the DA, which is reported on the news as a gas explosion. The men are hired to pursue the heads involved in something, and the concerned party clearly doesn’t want that to be known to the world. Then we meet with Owen Casserly, who works as a forensic accountant to the DA who was killed recently. Right after hearing the news, Owen knows that he must get away from the town with his son Connor. He leaves the house, and instead of dropping Connor at his school, he goes as far away as possible from his house.
Why are the Two Men chasing Owen?
The two men, Jack and Patrick, are working as a third party to someone big. Now, as Owen explains to his son Connor, thinking of making him aware of the situation, he works as a forensic accountant for the DA. His work involves adding up equations of transactions or something that is illegal. Basically, he somehow channels the illegal things into legal ways. During one such occasion, he has found out something that is supposed to be kept within a close circle.
Now, since Owen knows this, the persons involved in this want him dead as they do not trust him with the information. Owen even mentions that there are people inside the government who are concerned with the information he has. So he knows that death awaits him. Subsequently, he writes down everything he knows and calls his brother-in-law, Ethan Sawyer, who is a Deputy Sheriff in Park Country. Owen wants the news channels to have the information so that the world gets to know everything.
What happens to Owen and Connor?
Jack and Patrick break into Owen’s home and find out that there is a possibility that he has left for Park Country with Connor. So, they reach there beforehand using a private jet and local help and wait for Owen’s arrival on the road. Soon, when Owen and Connor come within shooting distance, the two assassins shoot at them. Owen loses control of the car as he is hit by a bullet, and the car goes off the road into the cliff.
Owen sees if Connor is alright, gives him the note, and asks him to look for help. Jack and Patrick shoot at the car at random, resulting in the death of Owen. Connor sees his father being shot from a distant place and soon runs away from the place. A local comes asking Jack and Patrick if there is something wrong, and they kill her right there, leaving the spot immediately. Soon, Ethan arrives at the spot and, seeing Owen’s car from above, understands the situation very well.
How does Hannah help Connor?
While looking for a town, Connor interacts with Hannah. She brings him to the tower to ask for help. However, because of the lightning strike, the radio signal is lost. Connor hands over the note to Hannah, and she realizes that his life is in great danger. Meanwhile, the killers meet their boss, who orders them to find and eliminate Connor as he doesn’t want to leave any trace of the information Owen is carrying with him.
To distract the police, Jack and Patrick start a forest fire using flares. They visit Ethan’s home in search of Connor and interrogate his pregnant wife, Allison. She manages to give Ethan a secret signal during a call under pressure and fights the assassins successfully to escape from them. On the other hand, Hannah tries to take Connor to town, but the fire blocks their way. Hannah decides to go back to the tower and wait until the fire breaks.
Does Ethan help the Assassins Find Connor?
Ethan, responding to the radio call, comes home with the Sheriff to secure Allison. However, the assassins attack them first, resulting in the Sheriff’s death and forcing Ethan to lead them through the woods. They threaten Ethan that if he doesn’t help them find Connor, they will most definitely kill Allison, and he will lose both his wife and baby in one go. Ethan finds no option but to do whatever they ask him to do. He even tries to fight them, but there is no chance that he can win against the two assassins at the same time.
With Ethan’s help, Jack and Patrick finally reach the bottom of the tower and ask Ethan to inspect it while they watch from a tree. Hannah and Connor hide while Ethan tries to make it seem like nobody’s in the tower. When Patrick notices Ethan is talking to someone, he, along with Jack, starts shooting at the tower. Ethan gets hurt, but Hannah and Connor successfully get away. Meanwhile, Allison has arrived at the spot, shooting at the assassins.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) Movie Ending Explained:
Is Hannah able to save Connor?
Jack asks Patrick to go after Hannah and Connor while he stays back, looking for an opportunity to kill Allison. In a one-on-one moment, Allison is successful in killing Jack and runs to the top of the tower to find her injured husband, Ethan. They have no way to go as the fire has almost surrounded them, and with Ethan being injured, Allison is left with no option but to wait for smokejumpers or helicopters to rescue them.
Meanwhile, inside the forest, amidst the fire, Hannah confronts Patrick. Hannah has asked Connor to leave while she tries to stop Patrick from harming him. But he returns to help Hannah. Just as Patrick is about to kill Connor, Hannah stabs him in the back using a climbing ax and leaves him to die in the encroaching fire. After that, Hannah and Connor dive into a stream, watching from underwater as the fire consumes the forest.
The following morning, after the fire has subsided, Hannah’s former smoke-jumping team arrives and rescues her, Connor, and Allison. Ethan has succumbed to his gunshot wounds, and Allison bids farewell to her husband with tears in her eyes. Later on, Connor prepares to reveal his father’s evidence to the media. Hannah pledges to support him through the uncertainties that lie ahead since he lacks a parent to guide him on his journey forward.
