I watched a film last night that I hadn’t seen since it first came out almost seven years ago:
Beyond the Reach (2014)
If you haven’t seen it, it’s a thriller starring Michael Douglas (Falling Down), Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) and Ronny Cox (RoboCop) among others.
It’s based on the 1972 novel, Deathwatch by Robb White.
This is what it’s about:
A wealthy businessman (Douglas) accidentally shoots and kills an old prospector while hunting bighorn in the Mojave dessert. When Ben (Irvine), his guide and tracker refuses to cover up the accident, the businessman strips him of his clothes and weapon and sends him off to wander the desert until he dies of exposure, stalking him the whole way.
Ben must find a way to outsmart his opponent using his knowledge of the desert and any tools it might provide.
I like this movie. It isn’t the best film you’ll ever watch and it’s certainly not the best film Michael Douglas has done, but it’s definitely worth checking out.
I get really annoyed at film critics who savage movies. A bad review can put a lot of people off watching something that might not necessarily be an Oscar winner, but that they might otherwise enjoy. This movie didn’t get great reviews on its release but it’s worth a watch in my opinion. I sometimes wonder if film critics even like films!
Beyond the Reach has got a sensible runtime of 1 hour 31 which is enough time to get the story told without dragging things out and the whole thing moves along at a nice pace.
All in all a half decent movie that deserves a chance, despite what the critics say.
If you’re still not convinced, here’s the trailer. 👇
Seen it? What do you think? 🤔