Review: Beyond the Reach

A wily and weathered Michael Douglas, playing a corporate baddie, is one reason to see Beyond the Reach. Another is up-and-comer Jeremy Irvine run across the New Mexico desert in nothing but his underwear. Neither reason is good enough to sit through the plodding survival thriller.

Directed by Jean-Baptiste Léonetti and adapted by Stephen Susco from Robb White's 1972 novel Deathwatch, Beyond the Reach takes its inspiration from The Most Dangerous Game and The Naked Prey. the former, based on the 1924 short story by Richard Connell, has spawned many a film adaptation and television episode as well as inspired countless variations of the hunting humans as prey theme (Battle Royale, The Hunger Games). The latter, loosely based on the experiences of explorer John Colter, is an underseen gem starring the then 52-year-old Cornel Wilde as the stripped-to-the-waist safari guide pursued by tribesmen through the South African veldt. In many respects, the role of the hunted would have been an intriguing one for Douglas, whose trademark machismo has now been tempered by the fragility that is part and parcel of growing older.

Instead, Douglas is Madec, a high-rolling mogul come to town to bag himself a bighorn sheep to add to his hunting trophies. Paired with Ben (Irvine), a young deputy and expert tracker, Madec sets off for the dangerous stretch of desert known as "The Reach." Ben is wary of this outsider with his tricked-out Mercedes SUV (valued at $500K) and his high-tech rifle imported from Austria. Madec is all too happy to show off his wealth - money affords him the satellite phone he uses in the desert to continue negotiating a deal with the Chinese worth hundreds of millions, money got him around acquiring the proper hunting permit, and it is money he extends to Ben to look the other way about that permit.

Taking money to ignore the lack of a hunting license is one thing, accepting a bribe to cover up Madec's accidental killing of an old mountain man is quite another. When Ben reneges on their deal to stay quiet about the murder, Madec orders Ben to strip to his skivvies and walk into the desert, where the blazing sun and lack of water is sure to finish him off in a matter of hours. Of course, Ben proves himself a most resourceful young man and not the type to die so easily.

"I'll just watch you wander around for a while," Madec tells Ben, and much of the movie is watching Madec watch Ben wander for a while. It can make for ho-hum viewing, especially since the underlying themes of class and generational differences are quickly forgotten. The filmmakers tickle the viewer's interest by having Madec while away the time by mixing some cocktails, relaxing on a lawn chair, and listening to classical music. These moments of camp, so few and far between, can't come soon enough as one can only spend so much time admiring Irvine's lean torso becoming increasingly burnt and blistered as he stumbles about the stark landscape (beautifully lensed by Russell Carpenter).

Beyond the Reach

Directed by: Jean-Baptiste Léonetti

Written by: Stephen Susco; adapted from Robb White's novel Deathwatch

Starring: Michael Douglas, Jeremy Irvine, Ronny Cox, Martin Palmer, Hanna Mangan Lawrence