Beyond the Reach 2015

In a small Mojave desert town, ruthless entrepreneur John Madec (John Madec) flaunts his opulent all-terrain vehicle, boasting of its $500,000 price tag as he buys off the local sheriff to secure a permit for hunting an endangered desert bighorn sheep. The sheriff, sensing an opportunity, recommends experienced tracker Ben (Ben) to guide Madec into the canyon country of Shiprock, where they venture an hour outside of town. Meanwhile, Ben’s girlfriend Laina is away in Colorado on a college swimming scholarship, having been gifted a gun by Ben himself, which she has learned to wield with precision.

As they navigate the arid terrain, Madec’s disdain for Ben and his small-town upbringing becomes apparent, particularly as he taunts Ben about his girlfriend. When Ben asks to see the permit for hunting the endangered bighorn, Madec offers a generous sum of cash, which Ben begrudgingly accepts. However, things take a deadly turn when Madec, with his shoot-first-ask-questions-later approach, accidentally shoots Charlie, an elderly prospector, and then manipulates the situation to shift blame onto Ben.

Madec’s subsequent offer to cover up the crime in exchange for Ben’s complicity is a Faustian bargain that sets the tone for their twisted game of cat and mouse. As Madec destroys Ben’s emergency transponder, he reveals his true intentions: to use Ben as a pawn in his own scheme of deception and murder.

When Ben refuses to play along, Madec’s true nature is exposed, and he becomes increasingly volatile, ordering Ben to strip naked and abandon him in the desert 45 miles from civilization. As the sun sets, Ben seeks refuge in Charlie’s subterranean lair, only to have it blown up by Madec using Charlie’s own dynamite stash.

With his options dwindling, Ben manages to escape with a “treasure map” belonging to Charlie, vowing to ensure that justice is served for the old prospector. As he navigates the treacherous terrain, Ben finds a wrist-brace slingshot and some marbles buried in a box of Charlie’s personal effects, which become his ticket to survival.

In a desperate bid to outsmart Madec, Ben heads towards a hidden grotto of water that holds sentimental value for him and Laina, only to find it dried up as the desert night sets in. Undeterred, Ben uses his wits and the slingshot to overcome Madec’s superior firepower, exacting a measure of justice in the process.

As fate would have it, Madec’s brief reprieve from law enforcement custody comes in the form of a cunning escape during a bathroom break, where he seizes the opportunity to hijack a helicopter that he had arranged for using his sole phone call. Meanwhile, Ben returns to Laina with a solemn vow - one that echoes through their quiet evening as they surrender to slumber. Little do they know, Madec has been quietly infiltrating their lives once more, his presence marked by an air of menace as he stalks them in the dead of night. However, just as all hope seems lost, Laina springs into action, her hand instinctively grasping for the firearm Ben had entrusted to her earlier. With a steady aim and a resolute spirit, she takes down Madec with the same gun that had been passed from one trusted hand to another. But even in death, Madec’s malevolent energy lingers, until Ben himself puts an end to it with a swift and decisive action.