Gold (2016)
R | 2h 1min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller | 27 January 2017
Synopsis: An unlikely pair venture to the Indonesian jungle in search of gold.
Review: I wish the story and characters in GOLD were true. At least the film would have peaked my interest. I could blame its disjointed narrative and lack of intensity on translation. But not only is it a boring story; it’s not even a boring true story. Ok, maybe I am being a bit harsh. It does have its moments and the 1980’s setting does add some nostalgia. I only wanted the movie to be half as good as the trailer. Maybe that person should have edited the film too.
Gold stars an almost unrecognizable (thanks to the shaved head, false teeth and extra 45 pounds) Matthew McConaughey as prospector and businessman Kenny Wells. Kenny has a nose for treasure and is convinced that there is a pot of it in the Indonesian jungle. He teams up with a well known geologist (Edgar Ramírez) to try and find it. They do indeed discover what looks to be the biggest mine in history. Sadly finding it was the easy part. Now everyone wants a piece of the haul and a piece of Kenny Wells.
The trailer sells this as a fast paced thriller in the vein of David O. Russell. With witty characters and fast paced decisions. But other than 80’s backdrop there is nothing memorable about it. Wells is sort of a dreamer who is always looking for the next big thing. McConaughey plays him almost like a buffoon. A guy with no sense of style or business who is just trying to gain a little notoriety. He wants to mingle with the big shots but he is a dusty square peg in their fancy round hole. So you never truly pull for him.
The supporting cast is well known and a solid contribution. Bryce Dallas Howard as Kenny’s longtime girlfriend Kay is a welcome sight and one of the few characters you actually feel for. Toby Kebbell, Bruce Greenwood, Stacy Keach, Craig T. Nelson are just a few of the co-stars in this one. But sadly none of their characters leave any sort memorable footprint in the story. In fact all of the people Kenny meets seem to blur around the edges. He is being pulled in by several corporations and companies that it becomes hard to keep up with who is who. And even harder to care.
I read somewhere that Matthew claimed this was his favorite role he has ever done. That might be the case and watching Kenny move about on screen you might believe that possible. But as an overall story and film it is certainly not a favorite to watch. GOLD is rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity. Anyone under the age of 21 would find this film loathsome and tedious. Those over that age may do the same but at least would find the content unoffensive. The language is a bit tiresome but after a while you sort of tune the characters out. I give it 2 out of 5 shoulder pads. I would watch the trailer again. That was pretty solid.
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