Beyond the Reach

Beyond the Reach

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jean-Baptiste Léonetti
Produced by
Screenplay by Stephen Susco
Based on Deathwatch
by Robb White
Starring
Music by Dickon Hinchliffe
Cinematography Russell Carpenter
Edited by Adam Wolfe
Production
company
Distributed by Roadside Attractions
Release dates
  • September 6, 2014 (2014-09-06) (TIFF)
  • April 17, 2015 (2015-04-17) (United States)
Running time
 91 minutes[1][2]
Country United States
Language English
Box office $281,865[3]

Beyond the Reach is a 2014 American adventure thriller film directed by Jean-Baptiste Léonetti and written by Stephen Susco. It is based on the 1972 novel Deathwatch by Robb White. The film, starring Michael Douglas, Jeremy Irvine, and Ronny Cox, was released on April 17, 2015, by Roadside Attractions.

Plot

Businessman and game hunter John Madec hires a young but experienced hunting guide Ben out to a field trip beyond the reaches of the Mojave Desert to hunt game. When Madec accidentally shoots an old prospector, Ben insists that they must report it as an accident. Madec, on the other hand, puts another bullet from Ben's gun into the corpse, and after explaining how he can now blackmail Ben with the new evidence, offers Ben a deal: Madec will put him through college and give him a $300k/year job in return for his complicity in covering up the crime.

When Ben picks up his emergency transponder, Madec destroys it and berates Ben for breaking the deal. Madec then threatens Ben with his high-powered rifle, and orders him to strip all of his gear including his clothes, then leaves him in the desert to die of dehydration and exposure.

Madec plans to report that Ben went mad, shot the prospector, and wandered off into the barren horizon alone. Madec is certain Ben cannot survive, as they are in a hot desert 45 miles from the nearest town, but just to make sure, he watches Ben from a distance, using the scope on his rifle. Ben finds enough water to survive until Madec shoots the barrel containing it. Trekking on, Ben finds a hidden lair to hide in, but Madec blows it up with dynamite, although Ben manages to escape before it explodes.

By sunset, Ben finds a wrist-brace slingshot and some marbles that had belonged to the prospector. He practices using the weapon, then uses it to overcome and defeat the ruthless Madec.

Back in town, Madec escapes from police custody. Sometime later, Ben is with his girlfriend and promises not to leave her side again. Madec sneaks into their house at night with a shotgun and confronts Ben but his girlfriend shoots Madec using a gun Ben gave her at the beginning of the film. Ben picks up the weapon, shoots Madec, and then aims at him, preparing to fire a second time since the first two did not succeed, intending to finish him as the screen fades to black and the credits roll.

Cast

Production

On September 7, 2013, Michael Douglas and Jeremy Irvine joined the cast.[4] Principal photography and production began on September 13, 2013, in Farmington, New Mexico.[5]

Release

Beyond the Reach premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2014.[6] On September 7, 2014, Roadside Attractions picked up the distribution rights to the film for $2 million.[7] The film was released on April 17, 2015, by Roadside Attractions.[8]

Critical reception

The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 36%, based on 64 reviews, with a rating of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Beyond the Reach promises goofy genre pleasures, but fails to deliver, losing the viewer -- and a villainous turn from Michael Douglas -- in a misguided story that stumbles to the finish."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 33 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[10]

Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the film a half a star out of four, saying "Beyond the Reach fails to achieve the Southwestern noir potency of No Country for Old Men, but there's no denying it brings to mind another Southwestern classic about malicious pursuit: the Road Runner cartoons."[11] Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film two out of five stars, saying "Beyond the Reach is a misfire, one of those movies that never quite rises to the level of guilty pleasure.[12] Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "There are goofy, primal pleasures to be had in the first two-thirds of the film. But Beyond the Reach exceeds even its humble grasp in the final act, collapsing in a clatter of blockheaded manhunter-movie cliches."[13] Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film two out of four stars, saying "There's not much here: The characters are paper-thin, and the action is slow, at times agonizingly so."[14]

Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Douglas is in his element and the throwback, stylized look of the production makes Beyond the Reach an entertaining hit of escapist fun."[15] Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, saying "Beyond the Reach is a grueling, unsatisfying thriller that fails the logic test in spectacular ways.[16] Joe Neumaier of New York Daily News gave the film one out of five stars, saying "This film, though, lacks any spine. Director Jean-Baptiste Leonetti isn’t sure if he’s making a Hemingway-lite faceoff or a hemmed-in horror flick."[17]

References

  1. ↑ "BEYOND THE REACH (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Beyond The Reach". AMC Theatres. 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  3. ↑ "Beyond the Reach (2015)". Box Office Mojo. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  4. ↑ "Toronto: Jeremy Irvine to Star Opposite Michael Douglas in 'The Reach'". The Hollywood Reporter. 7 September 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Michael Douglas movie starts filming Saturday". Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Toronto Film Festival: Michael Douglas continues to reach". latimes.com. September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Toronto: Lionsgate/Roadside Land Michael Douglas Thriller 'The Reach' For $2 Million - Deadline". Deadline. September 8, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  8. ↑ Stephen Susco. "Beyond the Reach". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Beyond The Reach". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
  10. ↑ "Beyond the Reach Reviews". Metacritic. 2015-04-12. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  11. ↑ Smith, Kyle (2015-04-15). "Michael Douglas' ludicrous 'Beyond the Reach' falls way short | New York Post". Nypost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  12. ↑ "Review: 'Beyond the Reach' a drama beyond comprehension". Azcentral.com. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  13. ↑ O'Sullivan, Michael (2015-04-16). "'Beyond the Reach': Michael Douglas as a deranged Gordon Gekko with gun". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  14. ↑ Tirdad Derakhshani. "Sensible, sensitive tracker vs. entitled, immoral hunter". Philly.com. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  15. ↑ "Desert Dancer, Beyond the Reach, The Dead Lands, Dior & I, Monkey Kingdom | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  16. ↑ Goldstein, Gary (2015-04-16). "Review: 'Beyond the Reach' plot stretches beyond the pale". LA Times. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  17. ↑ "'Beyond the Reach' review: Tedious chase set in the desert". New York: NY Daily News. 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-21.

External links

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