Review: Those Who Wish Me Dead and Saint Maud

A Double Feature Review!

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Those Who Wish Me Dead

Those Who Wish Me Dead is a reasonable thriller, upheld by a strong Angelina Jolie. Through adrenaline and action, this survival film gets the job done. Writer-director Taylor Sheridan (writer for Sicario, Hell or High Water and writer-director for Wind River) offers the audience an enjoyable escape route of throwbacks to a '90s-style action thriller. Those Who Wish Me Dead is not Sheridan's best material but it does deliver on everything it promises — strong acting performances (Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Medina Senghore, and Jon Bernthal), dangerous thrills, and straightforward tension. The film follows a smoke-jumper (Jolie) and a traumatized boy (Little) who fight for their lives as two ruthless assassins (Hoult and Gillen) pursue them through a raging fire in the Montana wilderness. That's as deep as the plot gets — it's pretty direct, with no twists or turns in the script. However, the bond between Jolie and Little is powerful and helps uphold the film's minor plot holes. The action throughout this movie is solid, keeping viewers (at home or in theaters) watching it on edge. In the end, we get an effective and entertaining film that checks all of the boxes. Plus, it showcases the great acting chops of Jolie. What more could you ask for?

Those Who Wish Me Dead is rated R (Restricted) Strong Violence & Language Throughout.

Streaming on HBO Max until June 13 or catch it in Theaters.

Directed by Taylor Sheridan

Starring Angelina Jolie, Finn Little, Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Medina Senghore, Jon Bernthal, and Jake Weber.

Saint Maud

Saint Maud is a physiological horror flick digging its teeth into your skin. A gothic nightmare one cannot look away from and all its unholiness. I have been eager to finally see this physiological horror film since I first saw the trailer back in March 2020. Then, the pandemic happened, and everything in the United States shut down. Saint Maud was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on 10 April 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic raging throughout the world, the release was postponed until 17 July 2020 and then was later pulled entirely from the schedule. I knew, eventually, I would see this dark, beautiful film — rather it be from my home or from inside a movie theater. Saint Maud was released as a limited release in the United States on 29 January 2021, followed by video on demand (VOD) and Epix on 12 February 2021. Then, last month Saint Maud was also released to the streaming services of Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. I was able to watch this gothic nightmare on Hulu from the comfort of my home.

I was ecstatic that I finally got to watch writer-director Rose Glass' directorial debut — this unsettling, slow-burning horror movie will sink its teeth into your skin and never let go. Actor Morfydd Clark as Maud gives us a commanding performance fueled by paranoia and faith. Saint Maud jumps deep into the pathos of religion, simulating a stunning picture of arthouse horror. Glass' Saint Maud is a chilling vision of faith; that's convoluted with madness and salvation. Maud (Clark), a newly devout hospice nurse, becomes obsessed with saving her dying patient's soul (Jennifer Ehle), and that's all I will tell you. Will the sinister forces of Maud's past threaten to put an end to her holy calling? I'll let you find out and make the call. Glass also blends reality with fiction of what is going on in the real world and Maud's own head. It's a fascinating way of storytelling that will haunt your soul to the end of times. All-in-all, Glass' Saint Maud is a fierce horror film that will be studied for the years that come. In the end, this unholy matrimony of a film deserves to be seen by the masses.

Saint Maud is rated R (Restricted) Language, Disturbing & Violent Content, and Sexual Content.

Saint Maud is now streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.