Dirk_van_den_Berg

One of the more elegant tropes of mystery thrillers that vaguely quote certain settings and situations from the Hercule Poirot "Orient Express" story is the rich eccentric loner who invites his friends (peers / collaborators / co-conspirators) on an island (that he usually owns). That's the premise of this film, too, and the execution in terms of SFX, camera, costumes, music etc is impeccable. But that's about it. There is not one line of dialogue, not one character, not one plot twist that is not foreseeable or predictable. The whole thing looks way too expensive and feels way too shallow. And the actors... in some rare moments they seem to have some fun, but most of the time they just deliver lines. No idea who greenlit this script, and even less an idea who allowed the director to simply go ahead with it as written (if that's what he did). Overall, this non-mystery film is a huge waste of talent, resources and time, including mine.

No, even with all the premises - the setting, the heatwaves in the US this year, the murky secret that aliments the plot and that we're not told (and this is NO spoiler) and Angelina herself - this is a film that has almost no storyline, a so-so forest fire at its peak and that is underwhelming for so many reasons, and so much more of nothingness. Those Who Wish Me Dead does not even pay off the promise of its title. This really is a bad excuse of an action thriller movie that is not worth even downloading. Want to try anyway? I suggest you do yourself the favor and spend your time with something else. Really.

American flags, the christian cross - oh, the symbolism. God and country. A myth for anybody who did not grow up in America, such as the mythical belief that violence toward others is a "god given" right, especially if you're the stronger one.

The enlightenment seems to have given the USA a pass altogether.

As a European, watching this documentary makes me not want to travel to certain (United) states anymore. But then again, when I watch combat axes and assault weapons hanging on the walls of a bible-quoting police officer, I say to myself "sure, this guy is American". Because if that scene was filmed in Europe, I would call him a dangerous person, who dangerously separates the world between "us" and "them" - the righteous and the others, the wrong ones who are different and therefore can be "punished".

Almost nothing in this film comes as a surprise - religion and patriotism go hand in hand in a "country of immigrants" where government is considered a nuisance and pro-gun speakers talk about "god given right of self defense".

What does come as a surprise though is that most (not all, but a I'd say 9 out of 10) of the characters in the film are - white. And most of them are - male.

It took Kevin Miller great courage to make this film. I myself did films about religious extremism in the Middle East and Northern Africa. I'd feel queasy if I lived in those countries, because I know how much hatred is there especially from religious fanatics. So, Kevin Miller who lives in the United States is most of all, a courageous director. His film is so well done that it is almost unbearable. Watching it, sometimes I would have liked it to be worse - not as well researched, not as well filmed, not as well edited - to give myself an excuse to stop watching. Because watching it is HARD (did I mention I am European?).

Yes, this is a necessary film. Nowadays, people are not used to hear anything that is not in line with their own beliefs. So, I am afraid that people "on the other side" will avoid it. Like... the devil.