Sensible, sensitive tracker vs. entitled, immoral hunter
We learn pretty much all we need to know about Madec, the sociopathic villain in Beyond the Reach, from his vehicle, which we see before meeting the man himself.
We learn pretty much all we need to know about Madec, the sociopathic villain in Beyond the Reach, from his vehicle, which we see before meeting the man himself.
A gigantanormous souped-up Mercedes G63 AMG 6x6 safari truck enhanced with grotesque monster wheels - four sets of double tires in the back - the creature looks surreal standing outside the sheriff's office in an impoverished one-horse town on the edge of the Mojave Desert. (Later, we learn it has a built-in mini-kitchen with espresso maker, microwave, toaster oven, fridge, and special compartment for guns.)
"Five hundred thousand," Madec announces when he sees Ben, the film's lovely white-hat hero, gaping at the machine. "That's not including tax."
Played to the hilt by Michael Douglas, Madec is a heinously rich - and morally heinous - insurance mogul from Los Angeles, who plays at big-game hunting in his spare time. He's in town to hire a guide for his latest quest, bagging a bighorn sheep, a large species of mutton whose horns alone weigh up to 30 pounds.
Equipped with a space-age rifle custom-made in Austria, a satphone, and an intensely disturbing air of entitlement, Madec is not beyond greasing a few palms to get permission to hunt out of season.
He's wary of Ben's age, but hires him instantly when told he's the best tracker in the county. Madec wants nothing less than the best.
Portrayed with effective affect by 24-year-old War Horse star Jeremy Irvine, Ben is the sensitive, sensible son of trackers who died on the job. A loner, he has built an intense relationship with his childhood sweetheart (Hanna Mangan Lawrence). But he's out of sorts, feeling lost in the world now that his love has left town, perhaps forever, to attend college.
The feature debut from director Jean-Baptiste Léonetti, Beyond the Reach is the second film adaptation of a critically acclaimed 1972 young-adult novel from Robb White called Deathwatch. It's a capable-enough thriller and a nice improvement from the first film, a sappy 1974 TV movie starring Andy Griffith as Madec and Sam Bottoms as Ben.
But there's not much here: The characters are paper-thin, and the action is slow, at times agonizingly so.
The predictable story gets going when Madec accidentally shoots an old coot named Charlie (Martin Palmer) who lives in a mine shaft. Madec's not the kind of guy who sheds tears for nobodies - or who'll pay for their death.
So, he makes Ben the ultimate devil's bargain: If he helps him cover up the death, Madec will pick up his college tab and give him a high-paying job at his company.
Madec freaks out when Ben defies him. He forces the young man at gunpoint to strip down to his underwear and run deeper into the desert. Clearly relishing the situation, Madec tells the incredulous Ben he'll stick around in his comfy Mercedes and watch him die the slow, agonizing pain the desert will no doubt bring.
But Ben isn't a quitter!
Will he survive? Will he make Madec pay for his sins? Take a wild guess.
Beyond the Reach ** (out of four stars)
Directed by Jean-Baptiste Léonetti. With Michael Douglas, Jeremy Irvine, Ronny Cox, Hanna Mangan Lawrence. Distributed by Roadside Attractions.
Running time: 1 hour, 31 mins.
Parent's guide: R (violence, profanity).
Playing at: PFS Theater at the Roxy.EndText
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