Here is a thorough explanation of everything that goes down in the ending of Angelina Jolie's Those Who Wish Me Dead.
The 2021 movie, which Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan directed, follows Jake Weber’s Owen as he realizes his life may be in danger following a gas explosion at his boss’ house.
Before being successfully assassinated, he tells his son, Connor, how he is a forensic accountant who finds things that do not add up. After he dies, Connor is left on the run with nowhere to go as two hitmen scour the area in hopes of finding him and his father’s secrets, which are scribbled down on scraps of paper.
Those Who Wish Me Dead Ending Explained
The overall plot of Those Who Wish Me Dead, and therefore its ending, is fairly simple—but there is still plenty to unpack.
By the third act of the film, Aidan Gillen’s Jack and Nicholas Hoult’s Patrick have reached Park County, Montana, in their pursuit of the loose end: Finn Little’s Connor.
Thankfully for Connor, after escaping the fiery car crash and assassination that killed his dad, he ran into Angelina Jolie’s Hannah, a former smoke-jumper, in the woods. It does not take long for her to catch wind of the seriousness of the situation, leading him into her protection to get back to town.
Jack and Patrick’s hunt brings them crashing into Jon Bernthal’s Ethan, a local deputy. Reluctantly, he is forced into helping the duo search for the missing kid.
Paths cross again when the trio arrives at the fire tower Hannah and Connor are staying in.
Tension rises as Ethan goes into the tower to look for them while under the scope of a rifle.
Everything eventually goes to hell when gunfire breaks out as the hitmen see that Ethan is trying to cover for the two targets. Luck is not on Ethan's side as bullets fly through the windows, hitting him—but thankfully, both Hannah and Connor escape.
Patrick goes after them on foot, while Jack stays to confront Medina Senghore’s Allison, Ethan's pregnant wife, who followed them from their original confrontation earlier in the film. Allison is successful in outgunning Jack, killing him.
She rushes into the fire tower, where she finds her husband slowly dying. While she goes on to be rescued in the morning thanks to an airlift, Bernthal’s Ethan doesn't make it despite having a steady supply of oxygen to combat the fire.
In the meantime, Hannah and Connor are fighting Patrick to the death as the forest fire the bad guys started earlier threatens to consume everyone. After dispatching the hitman, Hannah, and Connor use her training to submerge themselves into the river to survive until the fire burns out.
This entire situation is enough for Hannah to make a serious dent in fighting her previous trauma as a smoke-jumper, where her mistake during a forest fire led to the deaths of multiple people.
In the morning, the two of them are saved by Hannah’s smoke-jumping team. While Connor’s future is unclear, the boy does get to schedule the interview he needs, and it seems like he’ll be successful in exposing the corruption that’s been trying to kill him.
What Was The Big Hidden Secret in Those Who Wish Me Dead?
But what did Jake Weber’s Owen uncover in Those Who Wish Me Dead?
Well, the details of the big secret Connor is carrying around with him remain unknown. By the time the credits roll, audiences are just as in the dark as they were when the movie started.
Some will undoubtedly find fault in this, but for the story, the movie is telling, the plot does not need to reveal the nitty-gritty details. The situation was clear, as were the character motivations throughout.
Still, it would have been a nice little detail to gift fans before the end. However, perhaps it was never going to live up to the danger established by the movie, and that information would have only been fated to disappoint.
Those Who Wish Me Dead is streaming now on Netflix.
