Beyond the Mask (2015)

A British East India Trading Company assassin seeks to redeem his past by thwarting a plot against a young nation's hope for freedom.

Director:

Chad Burns

Writers:

Paul McCusker (screenplay), Stephen Kendrick (with)

Stars:

Andrew Cheney, John Rhys-Davies, Kara Killmer

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrew Cheney	...	William Reynolds
John Rhys-Davies	...	Charles Kemp
Kara Killmer	...	Charlotte Holloway
Alan Madlane	...	Ben Franklin
Adetokumboh M'Cormack	...	Joshua Brand
Charlie Newhart	...	Jeremiah Flack
Samrat Chakrabarti	...	Basil
Annie Kitral	...	Mrs. Holloway
Jennifer Dixon	...	Mrs. Witherspoon
Michael Ellison	...	Michael Crawford
Franco Pulice	...	Edmund Bentley
Thomas D. Mahard	...	Dr. Harrow (as Thomas Mahard)
Steve Blackwood	...	Richard Harrison
Brenda E. Mathers	...	Margaret Harrison (as Brenda Reed)
Carl Harry Carlson	...	Delegate

Storyline

The chief mercenary for the British East India Company, being double crossed by his former employer, has made his way to the American Colonies. Working to redeem his name, William Reynolds (Andrew Cheney) now hides behind a different mask in hopes of thwarting his former employer. As his past life closes in on him, Will must somehow gain the trust and the help of his beloved Charlotte, a woman he has been lying to, as well as a colonial intellectual by the name of Ben Franklin. All the while he races against time to defuse a plot that could have devastating effect on the birth of a new nation.

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Plot Keywords:

powder keg | voice over letter | assassin | east india company | ends with historical notes | 

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Taglines:

Double-crossed and on the run, an assassin for the British East India Company seeks to redeem his past...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for action, violence and some thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

The vote to declare independence was taken on July 2, 1776. The text of the Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776. The only person to sign the document on July 4, 1776 was John Hancock as President of Congress. It was read publicly on July 8, 1776 by city Sheriff John Nixon.

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Goofs

At the film's end, Benjamin Franklin checks his pocket watch and its second hand is incrementing in the manner of an electronic quartz movement rather than the smooth manual movement of those times. The quartz watch movement was still 200 years away from invention.

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Soundtracks

Can A Man Be Forgiven?

User Reviews

This was actually pretty good.

Beyond the Mask is the story of William Reynolds, an assassin working for the British East India Company, in 1775, who's decided to give up murder for hire, in favor of the life of a gentleman. When he declines the offer to continue in the same line of work in the British colonies of the Americas, his employer attempts to have him murdered and his reputation destroyed along with him. After surviving the attack on his life, William starts a new life by going into hiding, and pretending to be a vicar. While acting as a man of the cloth, he begins to fall in love with Charlotte Holloway, one of the local congregants, but the truth of his real identity threatens to keep them apart, and endanger the new life he's carved out for himself. William spends the course of the movie seeking to redeem his name and earn the trust of the woman he loves, all while foiling a plot to wreak havoc on the colonies.

The first thing that immediately stands out about Beyond the Mask is that the overall look and feel of the film are exactly what you come to expect from any regular Hollywood movie, and it's pretty impressive, considering it wasn't produced by some large studio in Los Angeles with a massive budget. The cinematography and special effects in the majority of the scenes were awesome, the sets and costumes were good, and the music was excellent. The plot moves quickly, with something interesting happening in every scene, to keep the viewer engrossed until the very end. If you were hoping to slip out and run to the bathroom at some point during the movie, forget about it. There is no downtime at all. Despite the fact that the story unfolds quickly, it doesn't hinder the viewer's ability to get to know the characters (which are written very realistically) and see them evolve, through acting that is believable and heartfelt.

As much as I loved Beyond the Mask, I am going to be honest, and tell you that my nitpicky alarm went off a few times while watching the movie. A few times when some of the accents were slightly off. Again during the scene where a man seems to be very clearly breathing after he's been killed. It also went off in a few scenes involving special effects. Through most of the movie the special effects are actually pretty good, giving the movie a nice polished look, but every now and then there would be an explosion or someone crashing through a window in a way that didn't look as realistic as all the other effects. Besides a few instances though, the special effects were handled well.

One of the great things about Beyond the Mask was the way it was able to allow the characters to discuss faith and the search for redemption without ever crossing the line into preachiness. They certainly didn't shun God from the script, and they also didn't overwhelm the scenes with any spiritual content that was too heavy for them to handle. When characters mention faith, it doesn't feel forced at all, it just flows naturally from the story. It's not imposing itself. It belongs there, and is comfortable in its own skin. It's very tricky territory to maneuver, but the filmmakers found a happy medium, and it works.

Overall, Beyond the Mask is a well written, funny, romantic, action flick, that's entertaining for adults but also appropriate for younger viewers.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beyond the Mask

Filming Locations:

Michigan, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,801, 12 April 2015

Gross USA:

$1,236,094

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,236,094

Company Credits

Production Co:

Burns Family Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1