Revaluation: If the story is clichéd, the film has little hope of innovation. But the writers and directors try to keep something that the audience will watch and appreciate. The responsibility of the director is more than that of the writer to keep the audience interested in the film through good shots, good acting and good editing. ‘Does Who Wish Me Dead’ (Amazon Prime Video) is one such film that director Tyler Sheridan not only saved from sinking with his skill but also filled the audience with thrills with its action and thrill sequences. It’s nice to see Angelina Jolie after a long time.
Wayne (Jack Webber) is a forensic accountant who works to unearth the black money of mafia and politicians. Jack (Aidan Gillen) and Patrick (Nicholas Hoult) are hired killers who first kill Wayne’s boss and want to kill Wayne too, so the police have no evidence. Wayne is on the run with his son Connor (Finn Little) en route to his brother-in-law Deputy Sheriff Ethan (Jon Bernthal), when Jack and Patrick attack his car. Before dying, she gives all the secrets to her son and takes him to the forest. Connor meets Hannah (Angelina Jolie), a forest firefighter who not only saves him from the killers but also from the forest fires started by those killers. All’s well that ends well. How simple is the story? A 2014 film adaptation of his novel of the same name was written by Michael Courtois, directed by Tyler Sheridan and Charles Levitt.
The cinematography of the film is done by Ben Richardson. Forest scenes and forest fire scenes dominate. He has tried to bring grandeur to the film by keeping the close-up shots short. The use of light in night scenes gives an unexpected effect. Editor Chad Galster, who comes to the film from the world of TV series, shows the real adventure in the film and the audience doesn’t realize but the film moves in a straight line in time. There’s no filminess to ‘Does Who Wish Me Dead’, so many parts look real. Angelina’s small role in acting also makes her the central character of the film. When three young men are killed in a forest fire and Angelina is unable to save them in her duty, her past overturns her present. Finn Little did a great job. His scenes with Angelina are very good.
Owen’s character is also not done justice in the film. It is not known who he has evidence against in the entire film. There are no powerful villains to fight against. Connor doesn’t even mourn his father’s death, but when he asks Angelina what the future holds for her at the end of the film, he gets very emotional. Angelina doesn’t want to make any promises so doesn’t bother to adapt and it seems realistic. The film is worth watching. The setting of the forest fire and its growth is very well filmed, first slowly and then quickly. The film may be a little disappointing as it has no central story, but Angelina Jolie is also a command to forget everything.
Detailed rating
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Tags: Amazon Prime Video, movie review
First Published: September 25, 2021, 14:53 IST
