Story

Ben is a young tracker living in the southwest with his girlfriend Laina. When she leaves for college on a scholarship, Ben makes the difficult choice to remain behind, a decision that he will come to regret.

Madec is a rich, powerful international businessman, who is hunting for a bighorn to add to his trophy collection. He hires Ben as his guide through the Reach, a vast and hostile desert basin. The hunt goes tragically wrong as Madec, too eager for a kill, pulls the trigger quickly, and accidentally kills an old prospector. Attempting to cover up his crime, Madec tries to bribe Ben to dispose of the body and forget the incident, but Ben staunchly refuses to play along. Now, Madec must eliminate his only witness. He turns on Ben, sending him into the desert without clothing, food or water. In a sadistic game of cat and mouse, Madec stalks Ben with his weapons and massive six-wheel-drive Mercedes truck. Ben becomes the target of Madec's fiendish mind. Ben uses his survival skills and his knowledge of the Reach to challenge Madec at his own game in an attempt to bring him to justice.

Wounded and emotionally changed by the experience, Ben escapes the desert and reunites with Laina at her college. The two young lovers pledge to stay together, but the Reach continues to haunt Ben and Madec's shadow looms over and threatens their fate.

About the Film

From Robert Mitas and Michael Douglas

"Beyond the Reach" was developed for Michael Douglas' Furthur Films from the popular young adult novel Deathwatch by Robb White. White was a successful novelist in the 1950s and 60s, and also wrote the screenplays to genre classics “House on Haunted Hill” and ‘Thirteen Ghosts”.

The White Estate is represented by Literal Media, a library company that owns or manages intellectual property. Literal also represents the estates of Damon Runyon (“Guys and Dolls”), Cornell Woolrich (“Rear Window”), and Shirley Jackson (“The Haunting of Hill House”), among others. Michael Douglas is a shareholder of Literal Media, and is producing modern and relevant adaptations based on the underlying material.

Robert Mitas, Executive Vice President of Furthur Films, had read "Deathwatch" in middle school, and after Douglas acquired Literal Media, brought "Deathwatch" to Douglas' attention.

Michael was immediately attracted to "Beyond the Reach" and understood how to bring this modern western to the screen. He and Mitas thought Stephen Susco had a voice that would be perfect. With his experience in writing horror and thrillers, Susco did an excellent job of crafting the screenplay. Everything was on the page - the director had everything he needed to create this suspenseful thriller set in today's Southwest.

The producers quickly found their director, Jean Baptiste Leonetti, after watching his first film "Carre Blanc." Leonetti would bring a unique noir vision to the American West, which was exactly what the production wanted. His 1970's cinema style was strong, yet simple to comprehend.

The right landscape was at the heart of "Beyond the Reach." Production spent a lot of time searching the deserts of New Mexico for the setting to the story, ending up near legendary Shiprock Mountain on the Navajo Nation. It was a difficult, rugged shoot, isolated and a long way from anything that resembled modern conveniences. The days were hot and long. The crew assembled was one of the hardest working crews Douglas had worked with in career of over 40 years of filmmaking. And the results ultimately showed off on the screen.

Cast & Crew

  • Jean-Baptiste Leonetti
  • Michael Douglas
  • Jeremy Irvine
  • Hanna Mangan-Lawrence
  • Ronny Cox

Jean-Baptiste Leonetti (Director)

Jean-Baptiste Leonetti was born in Paris and studied at the EFET Film School. His career began in television, working on documentaries and news programs. Soon, he broke into the advertising sector, shooting more than 60 commercials.

His first film was "Le Pays des Ours" which won  5 prizes at the Lutins Short Film Awards, including best production, best photography, and best editing.

In 2008, while still active in the advertising business, Jean-Baptiste founded Solair Films, which developed and produced his first feature length film, “Carré Blanc.” “Carré Blanc” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival to rave review and was recognized by the Prix du Syndicat Français de la Critique (French National Critic’s Association) whose recent fellow honorees include Alain Resnais and Jacques Audiard.

Most critics have compared this film to film to George Lucas’ “THX 1138” and Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil”.  It is a film that draws influences ranging from Orwell, Huxley, Kafka and Tarkovsky to create an immersive near-future society.

Twitch Film exclaims, “This is a nearly flawless film,” “it is quite simply one of the very best of the year and an introduction to an astounding new talent.” It has also recently made the top of the Twitch Crew's Best of 2011: Best Debut.