It’s not hyperbole to say that the Western, more than any other genre, built Hollywood. Its biggest stars and directors—John Wayne, John Ford, Jimmy Stewart, Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood and Sam Peckinpah, to name a few—are still screen icons to this day, and its box office draw was unrivaled for the better part of three decades between “Stagecoach” and “The Wild Bunch.”
It’s no secret, however, that westerns set in the 19th and early 20th centuries, both traditional and revisionist, have been on a steady decline for a while now, especially after both “Dances With Wolves” and “Unforgiven” won Best Picture during a three-year span. In the last decade, they’re more likely to go straight to DVD or Video On Demand (VOD) than to receive a splashy theatrical or streaming release, and Martin Scorsese’s upcoming “Killers of the Flower Moon” may well be the last mega-budget historical western ever produced.
Even as the old form dies, plenty of films that bear the DNA of the classics or share the setting of the American, Canadian or Mexican West in the present time have emerged to take their place—recent Oscar winner “Nomadland” is a prime example. Few creators have done more to revive the genre with a fresh perspective than Renaissance man writer/director Taylor Sheridan, whose credits include “Sicario,” “Hell or High Water,” “Wind River” and the smash hit television show “Yellowstone.”
His latest release, “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” follows a firefighter (Angelina Jolie, in a rare return to a dramatic leading role) who provides shelter to a teenager on the run from assassins in Montana, and it hit theaters and HBO Max last Friday. At long last, Rob and Bridget are actually going to review a new movie in the space below while recommending a few of our own favorite neo-westerns, so let’s get to it!
Rob: Bridget, what was your take on the movie? Did it live up to the hype, and, having read the book, how did it compare to the source material?
Bridget: Unfortunately, I don't think it lived up to expectations I had built up in my head given the fact that Taylor Sheridan co-wrote the script with the author of the book, Michael Koryta. I hadn’t personally felt hyped up about the movie based on the preview and fact that it was barely promoted, but I was hoping it would be more interesting and impactful given that Sheridan was involved. The book obviously had much more time to develop characters and I thought the movie was missing that in a bad way. What were your general thoughts?
Rob: My biggest takeaway is that I just don’t buy Angelina Jolie as a smokejumper who lives in the mountains of Montana, drives a pickup truck and drinks beer with the boys. For pretty much her entire adult life, she’s been one of the most glamorous celebrities in the world, and there’s a reason she gets typecast as a globe-hopping superspy, a video game heroine or an all-powerful witch. Normal human characters with everyday problems feel anathema to her at this point. So, anyway, Bridget, what’s the set-up for this modern-day action western chase thriller?
Bridget: The movie opens in Florida of all places. We soon meet our two villains, an assassin father/son duo (played by Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult) tasked with silencing various people involved who have discovered some shady dealings from a mystery organization. When an accountant and his son find themselves caught up in the chaos, they flee to Montana to seek shelter. Enter Angelina Jolie’s character, Hannah Faber, plus a local sheriff’s deputy (Jon Bernthal)– he happens to be the accountant’s brother-in-law– and his wife (Medina Senghore) who end up trying to protect Connor (Finn Little) after his father is murdered. The sprawling Montana forest and vast open spaces are reminiscent of familiar western film locations. The forest fire also spoke to earlier westerns where the elements become another nemesis altogether. Rob, besides the setting, what other western elements did you pick out in the movie?
Rob: In keeping with western tradition, a law enforcement officer plays a major role, and in my opinion, Bernthal is “Those Who Wish Me Dead’s” biggest asset. He always brings a certain authenticity to his hard man characters and has worked well with Sheridan’s material in the past, turning in memorable performances in “Sicario” and “Wind River.” Beyond that, there’s a shady criminal element and merciless antagonists who kill indiscriminately. Firefighters have been featured in a few big time films (“Backdraft” and “Only the Brave” are examples), but for whatever reason, they aren’t all that common, especially compared to the seemingly endless vault of cop flicks. Bridget, I’ve singled out Bernthal as a bright spot in a movie that neither of us loved. Do you have anyone else you’d like to compliment?
Bridget: I probably would have said Bernthal as well, but if I had to pick out someone else, it would be Medina Senghore’s character, Allison. I think it was a pretty under-developed role, but her brief turn as the kick-butt pregnant wife of Bernthal’s character was compelling and fun to watch. I would have liked more from her. Rob, besides a couple performances that worked, I think we agree that this was mostly a miss for both of us. What really had you shaking your head about this movie?
Rob: In addition to my qualms with Jolie in the lead role (during a particularly cringeworthy conversation with Connor as a wildfire rages behind them, she tells him that he’ll someday meet a “saucy blonde” and that “campfires are like catnip for teenage girls”), the fact that she’s tormented by a past failure is so cliche it’s hardly worth mentioning. The conspiracy that drives all of the action is never revealed or really even hinted at, and the audience is expected to invest in a plot contrivance that connects the murder of a high profile district attorney in South Florida to some average Joes in Montana without the payoff of knowing why it happened. Tyler Perry (how much did he get paid for this?) appears as a mob boss for all of 45 seconds, and anyone hoping for a rehash of the serious acting chops he showed in “Gone Girl” will be sorely disappointed. Did I miss anything, Bridget?
Bridget: I think you hit the nail on the head. This is a pretty far-fetched story, as it was in the original book version, but there, it had time to breathe and be fleshed out. We learned about the motivation behind the assassins and it wasn’t nearly as convoluted as what they hinted at in the movie. I was also disappointed by the lack of character development. I really didn’t care about any of these people because I barely knew them. I read other reviews that called this film “lean.” I think in this case, it was not a good thing. It was so lean that the pieces did not have time to come together and a couple days after seeing it, most of it is gone from my thoughts, unlike Sheridan’s other films, which I have watched several times apiece. Rob, since “Those Who Wish Me Dead” isn’t a strong recommendation from either of us, what other films would you suggest for our readers who enjoy modern-day westerns?
Rob: I caught a couple in preparation for this column that I’d highly recommend. “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,” a 2005 western about a Mexican migrant (Julio Cesar Cedillo) accidentally shot by a border patrol agent (Barry Pepper) who is eventually kidnapped and forced to transport his body home, showcases Tommy Lee Jones not just as an actor but as a director, telling a story that pays tribute to Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and the enduring bond of friendship even after death. Last year’s “Let Him Go” with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane is a neo-western that becomes something of a psychological thriller in its final act and ends with a bloody, harrowing climax as a husband and wife attempt to take their grandchild back to their home in Montana. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention all four of Sam Peckinpah’s contributions to the genre, “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia,” “Junior Bonner,” “The Getaway” and “Convoy,” and John Huston’s “The Misfits,” one of the saddest films ever made and the swan song for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. What are your recommendations, Bridget?
Bridget: Besides Sheridan’s worthwhile neo-westerns that we mentioned in our introduction, which I recommend to anyone, there are so many great ones. “Logan” (2017) is often-mentioned as one of the best recent examples. Yes, it happens to be an X-Men franchise movie, but it is so much more than that. It has so many of the pieces of classic westerns, expertly twisted to make it complex and new, yet still recognizable to fans of the genre. It was heavily influenced by the likes of “Shane” and “Unforgiven” and even if you’re not a big comic book movie fan, this one can be worth a watch. Another recommendation for me that people may have not heard of is “The Rider,” written, produced and directed by Chloé Zhao, who just won an Oscar for “Nomadland.” Set on the Pine Ridge Reservation of my home state of South Dakota, the movie is a beautiful look at the myth of the cowboy and by-gone glory of rodeo. It uses non-professional actors and is based on true-ish events. A couple other ones that I have enjoyed which don’t usually get mentioned with typical modern-day westerns include the coming-of-age film “Mud” (2012) starring Matthew McConaughey as a mysterious loner/outlaw and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)…just think of it as “Stagecoach” set in a post-apocalyptic world.
Hopefully, readers will fire up a few of these alternatives that we’ve offered and only check out “Those Who Wish Me Dead” (in theaters and on HBO Max) if they’re hardcore fans of Sheridan, Jolie or firefighters, who deserved a better movie than this one. As always, send us your feedback (news@wrightcountymonitor.com or publisher@grundyregister.com) and keep your eyes peeled for our next review/discussion topic!
