Beyond the Reach (2015)

I love this movie so much

Very well executed

Really Surprised!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

PROS: Hands down the best part of this movie was the acting. I haven't seen acting this good in such a long time. The genuineness and rawness the actors showed was incredible. The characters shared bonds that initiated much of their decisions. The environment was a character in this film. You don't often find that the setting/scenery in which the movie takes place to be so influential, but in this case the environment really acts as though it is its own person. The desert had character development and personality. It played a key role in what made this film what it was. The other thing to point out would be how unparalleled the story ark was compared to any other film I have seen. There was man vs. wild and man vs. man and those two attributes were very well articulated throughout the film. CONS: The one thing for me would have to be how confusing the end of the movie got. I was stuck with the legitimacy of the storyline. The whole film you were gifted with an exceptional idea and setting, but at the end you get a very unwelcoming slap in the face when the movie tries to add stuff that it really didn't need. The extra bells and whistles weren't able to enhance the film which is what their goal was, but in fact it actually drew away from the pureness and integrity of it.www.chorror.com

What was producer & star Michael Douglas thinking when he decided to remake the movie-of-the-week suspense saga "Savages" with French director Jean-Baptiste Leonetti making his English language debut at the helm? Talk about an overcooked contrivance! "Beyond the Reach" doesn't deviate too far from author Robb White's novel "Deathwatch" about a lunatic big-game hunter on safari for bighorn sheep in the desert who accidentally shoots an innocent bystander that he mistakes for a sheep. The twentysomething guide that the hunter hired to help him find the sheep refuses to accept a bribe to keep quiet about the blunder. "Grudge" scenarist Stephen Susco has adapted White's novel so that Michael Douglas is cast as the wealthy hunter while John Irvine plays the idealist guide. A handful of other characters flesh out the cast, including Ronny Cox and Hanna Mangan Lawrence. If you've seen Lee H. Katzin's movie-of-the-week "Savages" (1974), you won't be surprised by anything that happens in this big-budget rehash. "Beyond the Reach" reached only limited release for a mere two weeks in theaters. Douglas looks like he was doing a rift on his "Wall Street" villain Gordon Gekko, but to what end was he aiming. Mind you, production values are sterling. Oscar-winning lenser Russell Carpenter of "Titanic" fame makes everything look dazzling in the sprawling desolation around Shiprock, New Mexico, when this lackluster tale unfolds. Douglas has ramped up the stakes. Instead of being a lawyer, Douglas portrays a well-heeled entrepreneur who is making a business deal to relocate his American-based company to China if he doesn't let the deal fall through because of his trigger-happy urge for another wall trophy. Under Andy Griffith in the original, Douglas' character John Madec travels with only the best. He cruises into the Mojave Desert in a half-million dollar Mercedes SUV equipped with everything imaginable short of an android. Ultimately, "Beyond the Reach" boils down to a game of wits between the underdog Road Runner—the savvy guide with desert survival experience—and Madec's Wile E. Coyote killer. Watch the original made-for-television version instead of this bombastic waste of time.

This movie is so bland I was able to predict the ending with the first 2 minutes. The characters are forgettable, Michael Douglas is far from believable and the story line is something out of a bad B movie. Except this is a bad B movie. The best part of this movie is watching a weird Mercedes SUV vroom around with sound efx that were taken from a Harley Davidson on a steroid meth cocktail. If you want to watch some no-name walk around the desert half naked while Micheal Douglas drinks scotch, go for it. Make sure you have your phone in hand so you can scroll through FB or IG while this borefest is looming in the background. There are way better movies to Netfix and chill with.

mucho spoilers belowMichael Douglas plays Madec, a rich, old man who life has made bitter and cynical, nowadays finding his only enjoyment in hunting. So much so, that he pays Jeremy Irvine, playing Ben, a good deal of cash to go hunting illegal animals. You know how this works, the classic "hunter becomes the hunted" type of film; but hey, it's a decent enough choice to build a good film around.So, by the beginning of the film, the two characters are established, with Ben being somewhat too much the good guy, but no harm there. Madec is not that bad either, someone who you could see yourself becoming should you have enough success and struggles in life.Then, Madec by accident shoots a stranger, and panics when he understand he might go to jail for that (he wouldn't; no jury would convict him for what is clearly a hunting accident, but hey, who needs a plot, this is a film, right?), he freaks out and decides that Ben too must die, because he is a witness.But he doesn't shoot him, instead.. Madec's "bad side" comes out and he sees himself as "the hunter' so he sends Ben in the desert without guns or clothing, so Madec can hunt him - and also kill him, because that's what he needs. Again, he could have shot him but no.OK, up to here, the film is somewhat slow, but not bad. Douglas is very good, Irvine not so much, but all together it's a decent starter for a film.. you just need to develop the story.Instead, nothing. nada.zip. zilch.The "introduction" lasts a solid 45 minutes. We are then subjected to another 35 minutes of exactly nothing, no development whatsoever, until finally Ben manages to make a slingshot and hit 'ol man Doglas in the head with a rock.Then you get about 5 minutes of totally spurious, senseless, idiotic ending, and 5 minutes of credits.I have to say, this film was shot exquisitely. The photography is some of the best i have ever seen, and if director Jean-Baptiste Léonetti is ever allowed to make another film after this piece of garbage, he could make millions directing documentaries, because the views are absolutely stunning. But, if you do decide to watch Beyond The Reach, be forewarned, do not go into this for the story.My final vote: 5/10 - damn, that ending is just horrible.