Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Beyond the Reach Blu-ray Movie Review

. . .or "Exceeding its Grasp."

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 18, 2015

In the commentary attending this new Blu-ray release of Beyond the Reach as a supplement, star and co-producer Michael Douglas talks about how his character John Madec is a throwback to some of his earlier portrayals of (as he puts it) “corporate villains.” There’s little question that Douglas is of course referring (at least in part) to the inimitable Gordon Gekko of Wall Street and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps fame (infamy?). There’s also little doubt that Gordon Gekko’s surname was no mere accident— there was a lizard like, reptilian quality to the character, one far removed from the “kinder, gentler” gekko that has become an advertising icon for a certain insurance agency. If anything, Madec is even more dependent upon his so-called “lizard brain” than Gekko was, especially after a hunting trip goes awry and Madec seeks to cover up an unintended killing. It’s a patently silly premise from the get go, but Douglas’ performance acumen manages to carry this film further than it has any real right to go, at least that is until one of the silliest final few minutes in putative thriller history.

Beyond the Reach’s advertising tag line (included on both the slipcover and keepcase insert) states “What began as an accident has become a deadly game,” a none too subtle reference to 1932’s iconic The Most Dangerous Game, wherein a big game hunter finds himself the unexpected prey of a madman. The basic trope of a villain hunting other humans for sport has been utilized repeatedly through the years, and so Beyond the Reach has to struggle at times to overcome a perhaps inescapable feeling of déjà vu, something it attempts to distract from by providing a probably unnecessary back story for the film’s ostensible victim, a young hunting guide named Ben (Jeremy Irvine).

An almost ridiculously serious undertone undercuts that very back story as the film opens with Ben saying goodbye to his girlfriend Laina (Hanna Mangan-Lawrence), a lass who is leaving Ben to (wait for it) go to college. The way the scene is played, though, you’d be forgiven for assuming that Laina has in fact contracted some terminal disease, a la Love Story, and that these star-crossed lovers are being forced to say goodbye for the last time before one of them shuffles off this mortal coil. Even this silly artifice is jettisoned almost immediately, as directly after Laina tools off across the New Mexican wilderness, Ben receives a job offer to escort a well heeled out of towner on a big game hunt out in the desert (is there much big game in the New Mexico desert?). When Ben goes into town to meet the guy, he first sees the guy’s insanely huge SUV (a six wheeled Mercedes which Douglas in the commentary says goes for around half a million). Obviously, Madec has bucks (if not a ten point buck).

Out in the countryside, Madec seems to be trying to forge a bond with Ben, sharing anecdotes about himself and encouraging the younger man to do the same. There’s a reticence on the part of Ben, though, as if he senses Madec is not someone to fully trust. On an impossibly bright, sunlit day, that instinct turns out to be correct when Madec inadvertently shoots and kills an old guy named Charlie (Martin Palmer), a kind of hermit prospector type who was a friend of Ben’s. Ben of course wants to go to the authorities immediately, since it was after all an accident, but Madec, for reasons which are only haphazardly detailed, prefers to keep it all quiet. Madec attempts both halting mind games as well as outright bribes to sway Ben’s inherently moral tendencies, but the young man is insistent that the “right thing” needs to be done. Madec, obviously used to getting his own way, aims a rifle at the kid, tells him to strip to his skivvies (providing Irvine the opportunity to show off his perfectly chiseled abs) and head off across the barren wilderness with Madec in pursuit. It’s a patently ridiculous premise, one that no amount of back story could probably effectively set into motion.

Beyond the Reach then spends the rest of its running time documenting the cat and mouse game between Madec and Ben, with Ben not having to contend only with Madec’s sharpshooting skills but the ravages of the elements, an aspect which soon wreaks havoc with Ben’s skin (and especially his feet). Perhaps predictably, Ben, no stranger to this environment, is ultimately able to hole up in an abandoned mineshaft which was once Charlie’s domain, but he is never able to completely outwit, outlast and outplay Madec. A number of skirmishes ensue until the film takes an unlikely page from a certain story involving a kid named David and a giant named Goliath.

Despite its unabashed contrivances, Beyond the Reach is often quite tense and exciting for the bulk of this extended chase sequence. But once the film moves into its endgame, all bets are off as not one but two patently ridiculous codas come into play (minor spoilers to follow, so stop reading now if you want to be ostensibly "surprised"). The first involves Madec simply “leaving,” despite having ostensibly been brought to justice. The second, even more ridiculous, element has Madec simply returning, if for no other reason than to give Beyond the Reach a formulaic shootout to cap its running time. Incredibly, the commentary suggests there was an even longer showdown that was filmed. Luckily that fell prey to the kind of hunting which often attends the assembly of a feature film, namely the nimble fingers of an astute editor.

Beyond the Reach Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beyond the Reach is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. As mentioned below in the supplements section, the commentary gets into a bit of the technical side of the cinematography, which was done by Academy Award winner Russell Carpenter (Titanic), who used the Arri Alexa in combination with some retro lenses. There's some awesome scenery on display, despite the grittiness of the story, and director Jean-Baptiste Leonetti along with Carpenter ping pong back and forth between wide open vistas (often displaying incredible depth of field) and extreme close- ups, elements which offer abundant fine detail to the point "crag counters" will have a field day with Michael Douglas' face. Color grading has been kept to a minimum, with a few sequences like the opening goodbye between Ben and his girl cast in a kind of cool blue-green (see screenshot 7), a ploy which slightly darkens the image but which does not seriously minimize detail. Sharpness and clarity are first rate, especially in the bright outdoor scenes which make up the bulk of the chase sequence. There's a light dusting of noise apparent in the mineshaft scene, but otherwise this is a really sharp, appealing and problem free presentation.

Beyond the Reach Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Beyond the Reach features an effective if at times subtle DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, one which traffics more in wide open ambient environmental sounds or quick panning effects like the pitty pat of raggedly bleeding feet stumbling across the prairie to create a sense of space and immersion. Dialogue is handled very well, though the film tends to play in long sequences where the characters actually don't have a whole heck of a lot to say. Dickon Hinchcliffe's minimalist score resides nicely in the surrounds. Fidelity is excellent and (when taking moments like the eruption of gunfire into account) dynamic range relatively wide on this problem free track.

Beyond the Reach Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Actor/Producer Michael Douglas, Producer Robert Mitas and Director Jean-Baptiste Leonetti is filled with interesting information, including quite a bit about the cinematography and lenses which were utilized. Douglas disappears part way through.


• The Making of Beyond the Reach (1080p; 12:02). You know the EPK drill: interviews, behind the scenes footage and snippets from the film.


• Six Wheeling: Inside and Outside the Ultimate Ride (1080p; 10:27). Is it cynical for me to think that this advertisement for the Mercedes SUV in the film was the trade off for being able to use the vehicle?

Beyond the Reach Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As hackneyed and downright illogical as Beyond the Reach is, it actually works, more or less anyway, at least until a disastrous one two punch in the final few minutes of the film which just tips everything over into near self-parody. Douglas is a lot of fun as a ruthless financier, and Irvine will probably make a lot of hearts flutter traipsing around the desert in his underwear. Technical merits are generally top notch for those considering a purchase.