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:

assassin | east india company | ends with historical notes | independence hall | declaration of independence | 

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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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Más allá de la máscara

Filming Locations:

Michigan, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,801, 12 April 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,231,025, 19 July 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Burns Family Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

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

When Benjamin Franklin finds the cables being used to detonate the bombs he just lets William follow the wire to find the culprits and stop them. Considering his intelligence the first thing he should have done is cutting all the cables or shorting them to burn themselves.

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Soundtracks

How Many Will Die

User Reviews

Dopey revisionist history

Sort of like a comic book superhero version of How America Won Its Independence, "Beyond the Mask" features Andrew Cheney as a British assassin named William Reynolds who goes to the colonies to help wage war against the Empire, as a means of demonstrating to his true love (Kara Killmer) that, despite his checkered past, he's really just a decent guy under it all. While in the new world, he becomes a masked figure known as The Highwayman, who rides around at night securing victories for the fledgling rebels while hiding his identity behind a black mask. And, yes, it's every bit as dopey as it sounds. (William Reynolds was, apparently, an actual person but little in his biography matches anything that happens on screen).

A monument to inanity, "Beyond the Mask" lacks even the polish and professionalism of a junior high school civics project. Its portrayal of the personalities and events of the time is laughable at best, with a plot to blow up Philadelphia using Benjamin Franklin's own idea for electricity against him serving as the climactic stupidity. Luckily, Mr. Reynolds, scoundrel that he is, is on hand to thwart the dastardly deed with his heroism and his purity of heart.

And that, dear children, is how the Americans came to win their independence from England.

In more gifted hands, "Beyond the Mask" might have been a fun, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of lark, a harmless little bit of absurd revisionism designed to make history entertaining for the masses. But, sad to say, everything about the movie - from the script to the directing to the acting - is so terrible that there's actually precious little fun to be had.