elshikh4
No doubt that I hate today's Hollywood. That's why I keep watching its old movies recently. And when I come back to watch its new ones, I feel mostly regret. And Beyond the Reach is no exception ! Usually the problem is related to forgetting all about very important factor named : The Script. In old Hollywood, there was a respect for such a holy art. I believe since the American cinema's dawn, the writers came from theater, because "Films" weren't common yet. So a thing like "Drama" was essential in their movies. And in later decades, we had generations which studied and understood those pioneers, and broke their molds as well. Now, there is a newer generation which their work assures that they have nothing to do with drama. They break themselves, and us. And it's the American cinema's night for that matter !The bad writing can be seen in every age. However, the death of writing can be lived today. Especially when Hollywood believes in killing it, paying hundreds of millions of dollars for executing that (just remember Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 for little examples !). Here, we have yet another murder. The plot is too strange to ugly extend. Michael Douglas killed an old prospector, and wants to frame Jeremy Irvine for it. So what did he do ? He killed Irvine, and then reported that the latter went mad, and shot the prospector. Or he tried to do this, but Irvine escaped, so he hunted him to bury the truth. Sorry, it's not this or that. Because while reporting that Irvine went mad, and shot the prospector, Douglas didn't kill him, and Irvine didn't escape. Instead, Douglas forced Irvine to strip naked, and wander off into the barren horizon, to die of dehydration and exposure, which led to one of the most stupid and boring sequences ever captured on film, where Irvine walks into the desert, and Douglas follows him to kill him if he didn't die on his own !!So this is absurd remake of The Most Dangerous Game (1932), running in slow motion, where you wish, for all the time, that the lead just die, to have mercy upon the poor us. Nevertheless, don't you dare think that this is the only problem around !The dialog is extremely weird. Sometimes no line has connection to its subsequent. Or maybe it has, but many things were vaguely deleted in between ! The tragedy hit scenes too. For instance, I didn't comprehend the lead's flash back, where he tells a story about a family that died in the desert. Were they his parents, or else ? And what was their connection to the movie anyway ?? I watched that scene twice, and still I have no idea what was that about ?!!Despite running, on fiery hot sand, barefooted, with no water, under ruthless sun, the lead – on the contrary – seems so cool, and very healthy. Jeremy Irvine is whether the worst actor in a leading role I have seen in years, or gave the worst performance done by an actor in a leading role I have seen in years. He's perfectly lifeless, with bland acting and frozen reactions. In a word, he's a black hole of emotions. Michael Douglas is dead, and what we saw was his ghost. Without any sarcasm, he looked so old and fragile to play the evil guy. Clearly he wasn't that threatening, which took a lot from the movie's credibility, and weakened the conflict, while both – the movie's credibility and conflict – were dead horses already that didn't need more beating !French director Jean-Baptiste Léonetti, in his first Hollywood movie, had a zoom-in frenzy. Sure he needs to check in to the same rehab where they treat Michael Bay from addicting explosions, and Quentin Tarantino from paying homage !It should have ended with its nasty businessman getting away with it. That would have granted the story a chance to uplift its inner metaphor, concerning how rich people enjoy corruption, while poor people are the ones to pay the price. It could have made the movie satirical, bitter, and more memorable, inflaming our rage towards that type of evil. However, they wanted the happy end. Maybe because the producers of it are that evil guy himself, who want you to empty all of your negative feelings towards them before leaving the movie theater, so you forget about that evil guy (s) in real life !Speaking about the producers, I was shocked when I knew that Michael Douglas co-produced THIS! Oh My God, after producing such classics like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The China Syndrome (1979), Romancing the Stone (1984) and Face/Off (1997), he chose projects like The Sentinel (2006) ?, and Beyond the Reach (2014) ?? Dear Michael, if someone in the world needs Back to the Future's car the most, then it's you. You have to travel into time, to advise your younger self on selecting wisely what to produce in your 60s and 70s !Beyond the Reach is boring stupidity. Sorrowfully, the "boring stupidities" are in fashion since the start of the 2000s. So my sole hope is that every Hollywood scriptwriter, and producer in particular, goes and watches old Hollywood movies, to know how they really lost their way, and discover sublime treasure named : The Script. Otherwise, may they wander off into the barren horizon themselves !
lathe-of-heaven
Okay, if we were rating this film directly against ALL movies of all time, clearly it isn't THAT big of a deal. BUT... and, I'm NOT going to go into the OBVIOUS story details like EVERY other stink'n reviewer REPETITIVELY mentions in EVERY bloody review... I would THINK that you have the basic idea by now... (GEEZ...) Anyway, as I was 'saying'... In all honesty, although the film is not a brilliant masterpiece or work of breathtaking art, I felt that it was a very simple story that was well told and well acted. And, even as predictable as EVERYONE bloody knows it is going to be, I still genuinely enjoyed it and found it entertaining. I'm pretty SURE that the fact that Michael Douglas was one of the main stars probably had something to do with that.One thing that I WILL mention, without giving too much away... is that I kind of liked the REASON why things came about the way they did. Normally, with this type of familiar story, the motivation is different. Again, without saying too much, I found it a bit or a surprise that the reason was not as premeditated as I had expected it to be.Another thing too. I was bloody SHOCKED at how frigg'n OLD Ronny Cox looked. I'm thinking, 'GEEZ, this is the Bad@ss guy in 'ROBOCOP' and 'TOTAL RECALL'...??? This is the guy who kicked TOTAL @ss playing Captain Jellico in STAR TREK: TNG? How very sad...So... with such a COMPLETELY simple and familiar story, what really can you say...? Except, is it done well? Is it entertaining? Is it worth watching...?Sure... as long as you KNOW what kind of movie it is and you LIKE these types of films.ANYONE even slightly contemplating watching this film pretty much knows what it is going to be about, so.... IF knowing that, and you still are interested, and if you also happen to like Michael Douglass, sure, I think you might very well find it fun and entertaining, as long as you are realistically NOT expecting Shakespeare, 'CITIZEN KANE' or 'BLADE RUNNER' (sorry, I HAD to include 'BLADE RUNNER'... :)
Vivekmaru45
Having watched The Naked Prey(1966), this film is a welcome edition to the genre. The film is about a shooting accident, that results in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse between two very different men.Businessman and game hunter John Madec(Michael Douglas), hires a young but experienced hunting guide Ben(Jeremy Irvine) 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. But 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.Watch the film to find out what happens next...Everything in this film is top-notch, from the acting, photography, background sound-effects and direction. This is a polished script and well executed by French director Jean-Baptiste Léonetti who has directed the acclaimed French drama Carré blanc (2011). Beyond The Reach is based on the 1972 novel Deathwatch by Robb White. The film is produced by Michael Douglas, showing that he has faith in the film doing well at the Box-Office.Verdict: 10/10. I got my money's worth and more. More survival films: Dawn Of The Dead(1978), Friday the 13th (1980), The Evil Dead(1981), The Thing (1982), Aliens(1986), Predator(1987), A Cry in the Wild(1990), Tremors(1990), The Edge(1997), Cast Away(2000).Thanks for reading, may you live long and prosper.
