Beyond the Reach: Movie Review

The new cat-and-mouse thriller “Beyond the Reach” is based on the Robb White novel “Deathwatch”. Before now, I felt like it has been way too long since I have thoroughly enjoyed a Michael Douglas performance. To me he has always been best at playing a complete bastard and in “Beyond the Reach”, he goes into full-on-bastard-mode.

Ben (Jeremy Irvine) has had better days. His girlfriend (Hanna Mangan Lawrence) just went off to college in Denver and he is stuck running the family business as a tracker in the Mojave Desert. Ben’s luck doesn’t improve when he is hired to take Los Angeles corporate big-wig Madec (Douglas) on a hunting trip through the vast desert basin know as the Reach.

Things take a turn for the worse when Madac accidentally shoots a person instead of game. If word of this incident gets out it would destroy a major financial deal that Madac has been working on. This leads to Madac forcing Ben to roam the desert without clothing, shoes, or water. The plan is that the desert kills Ben instead of Madac’s gun.

“Beyond the Reach” moves along pretty quickly and Douglas is a lot of fun here. There are a few issues that I had, mainly with the film’s final act which just did not work for me at all. Irvine however is also really good and this one is definitely worth checking out.

By: Marc Ferman