Movie review
May 5, 2021 · 100 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Those Who Wish Me Dead.
Woke representation / casting
Casting uses predominantly white leads and supporting actors that fit the rural Montana wilderness setting and story needs. A brief cameo by Tyler Perry as a shadowy figure adds no audience-visible diversity signaling or emphasis. Minor roles like Medina Senghore’s do not drive narrative focus.
Woke political dialogue
No explicit activist, ideological, or identity-based dialogue appears. Any mentions of corrupt powerful interests function as standard thriller plot devices.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative centers on personal trauma recovery, survival skills, protecting a child, and battling natural disaster. No race, gender, sexuality, or social-justice themes drive character arcs or messaging.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The story includes generic corrupt antagonists with vague corporate or government ties as a thriller hook. This remains conventional villainy without modern activist framing of institutions, capitalism, masculinity, or Western norms.
Review
Those Who Wish Me Dead is a 2021 action thriller directed by Taylor Sheridan. Angelina Jolie stars as a haunted smokejumper who protects a young boy from assassins in the Montana wilderness while a massive forest fire rages. The story focuses on survival, personal trauma, and high-stakes pursuit in a straightforward genre setup with no audience-visible social justice, identity, or political messaging.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The film adapts an original novel with standard screenplay adjustments; no established characters, source canon, or historical figures were altered for ideological reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No anti-woke or right-leaning complaints exist in reviews, social media, or news. Reception treated the movie as conventional entertainment without accusations of DEI, identity politics, or agenda-pushing.
Creator track record context
Director Taylor Sheridan maintains a low woke profile with documented criticism of Hollywood wokeness. Co-writers and most producers show neutral thriller and drama careers; one producer’s moderate history does not shape this project’s tone or content.
Production
