Directed by:
Stephen GaghanCinematography:
Robert ElswitComposer:
Daniel PembertonCast:
Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Rachael Taylor, Bruce Greenwood, Stacy Keach, Michael Landes (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Movie tells the story of Kenny Wells (McConaughey), a modern-day prospector, hustler, and dreamer, desperate for a lucky break. Left with few options, Wells teams up with an equally luckless geologist to execute a grandiose, last-ditch effort: to find gold deep in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. (StudioCanal UK)
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Reviews (10)
Though Gold has a plot structure with the right punchlines, it has no drive and the director’s way of doing things is too
detached. And the choice of songs used in the soundtrack is downright dubious. The movie would benefit from more
skillful, faster storytelling and some vivacity like American Hustle had (both films take place in a similar retro America).
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After Syriana, it was hard for me to imagine a better plated table than the one I'm once again invited to join with a smiling Robert Elswit and Stephen Gaghan, along with McConaughey smoking in the background, whose acting method of taking his shirt off during the film is a particularly drastic experience here. But it's this overload of egos that makes Gold a first-rate, dynamic, and entertaining spectacle, though unlike Traffic, Syriana, or, say, There Will Be Blood, it lacks any socio-economic relevance and fails to bridge the character of a slimy little man who, while not evil, is ultimately not all that interesting. The only thing that makes him a distinct character is McConaughey's method of "A Slimy Creep in Three Steps; chapter Teeth, Baldness, and Pimples". I must confess, I ended up missing Elswit's brilliant framing of even simple dialogue scenes, never settling for three cuts of talking busts, characters entering the frame from uncharacteristic close by, or the camera gradually revealing the structure of a scene with its movement. But to set it in a bigger whole than an actor's Oscar-hopeful ramblings in a story based on a true event, I would have fallen asleep better.
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The film seemed utterly mediocre to me. I was only impressed by the performance of Matthew McConaughey, whom I don't like very much, but he was so sleazy this time that it was impossible not to notice him. I didn't care for his Kenny at first, but the longer I watched, the more interesting he got. I don’t think I’ll watch Gold again, but I'll remember Kenny for a long time.
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Through and through a mediocre story about how a fat bum came to happiness, based solely on yet another sweaty and enthusiastic creation of master Matthew, which flounders along in a muddled two-hour film with no significant emotional moments, surprising twists or truly original directorial ideas. And not even the the well thought-out structure of the script or the decent retro jacket can completely save it.
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An above-average standard reconstruction (in the day) of the biggest gold fraud on earth. Unfortunately made by a director without the necessary knack. The acting is great, and tubby McConaughey rocks. The screenplay is excellent, but has no build-up of tension, and simply tells the story as it unfolds, which is a bit disappointing. And this is another important lesson we can learn from history.
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