Gold - directed by Stephen Gaghan
There has been a move to distance this films story from the event that clearly inspired it.
Odd given that as it starts there is a title that states that it is based on real events.
Primarily this is the story of Bre-X - a Canadian group that claimed that it was sitting on a literal goldmine in Indonesia.
They listed- the share price went through the roof and it looked like the start of something beautiful.
Of course had this been the case it is very unlikely that a movie would have been made out of it.
So this film and "The Wolf Of Wall Street" share not only an actor (McConaughey) but the idea that watching people fail is at least as entertaining as seeing them achieve.
The achiever in this case is McConaughey's Kenny Wells.
Kenny's Father was a prospector and clearly a huge influence on the younger man.
He teams up with a geologist named Mike Acosta (Edgar Ramirez) who has a reputation as a man who can find precious metals.
They set out into the jungles of Indonesia in search of Gold.
The mission is beset with all manner of obstacles to overcome not the least of which is a life threatening bout of malaria for Kenny.
But Mike estimates that they have an eighth of an ounce of gold per tonne which is apparently a lot.
As with the real life story that this is based on that is only the start of it.
"Gold" is McConaughey's movie.
He is a producer but as the lead actor he is in all but a couple of scenes and the film rests on his performance.
He gained a lot of weight for the role and his usual leading man 'do' is replaced by a severely thinned pate.
(Apparently beer and cheeseburgers for six months added the pounds and a similar timeframe was required to lose them)
Appearance is only a part of the formula for a good performance and McConaughey provides the remaining components very nicely indeed.
He has spoken in interviews of this being one of his favourite parts and it isn't hard to see why.
The role allows for a terrific range of comedic, tragic, romantic and heroic moments.
Wells has a loving girlfriend played wonderfully by Bryce Dallas Howard who I am ashamed to say I was not at all a fan of until I saw "Pete's Dragon".
As Kay an apparently not-so-bright barmaid Howard is terrific.
She is sweet, loyal and not nearly as naive as she first appears.
The chemistry between Howard and McConaughey is spot on too and the scenes set during a time of tension in the relationship work really well as a result.
As much as I am now (finally) a fan of Howard and of course of McConaughey I cannot say the same for Edgar Ramirez who I find flat and often boring.
In most parts I have seen him play he seems to be lifeless and uninterested in delivering any emotion at all.
He fares much better here thankfully and at one point his character even smiled then laughed.
Ramirez is actually rather good as Mike a character who has a lot more going on than is first hinted at.
To say more would be spoiler territory but it is safe to say that the film builds to a dramatic and fun conclusion.
Along the way it flirts with International politics, military forces, corruption, business double dealing and of course tiger patting!
(McConaughey is patting a real tiger in this scene too - no CGI here)
Reviews for "Gold" have been mixed and while I can see why some people have been less enthusiastic about it than others I disagree and enjoyed this film a lot.
There are a bunch of laughs mostly thanks to Kenny's often tacky behaviour.
A scene in which the newly successful Kenny decorates the new office has a fan catastrophe, a bizarre domed deer head and the ultimate in tacky design - a picture of dogs playing poker!
Howard also provides several moments of humour including one in which a drunk Kay reacts to a beautiful woman hitting on Kenny.
While this plays fast and loose with the truth it is right to do so.
This version of events is a lot more fun than the real ones.
Smartly it avoids what for me was one of the weakest aspects of the otherwise excellent "Wolf of Wall Street" and restricts its running time to around two hours.
I felt like the movie was exactly as long as it had to be and no more.
I've mentioned Scorsese's movie a couple of times but other than an actor the pursuit of wealth they are very different films.
Note also that Kenny makes a clear distinction between being obsessed with money and being obsessed with gold and this is another telling difference.
This is a much sweeter natured film than most that deal with similar stories and a lot of that has to do with the lead character and McConaughey's portrayal.
Regardless of how you feel about "Wolf of Wall Street" or "Margin Call" or any of the recent films about stocks, shares, greed and all that goes with it this one deserves a chance.
It's more of a character piece than those and is different in a very good way.
It would be a shame if suffered through unfair comparison.
RATING: 80 / 100
CONCLUSION: A highly entertaining film full of surprises, drama and humour. Great work from McConaughey and Howard. Well worth a look.
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Corey Stoll, Toby Kebbell, Bill Camp, Craig T. Nelson, Macon Blair, Adam LeFevre, Rachael Taylor, Stacy Keach, Bruce Greenwood, Joshua Harto
Screenplay: Patrick Massett & John Zinman
Music Score by: Daniel Pemberton
Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Edited by: Douglas Crise & Rick Grayson
Running Time: 121 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Profanity
Running Time: 121 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Profanity
There has been a move to distance this films story from the event that clearly inspired it.
Odd given that as it starts there is a title that states that it is based on real events.
Primarily this is the story of Bre-X - a Canadian group that claimed that it was sitting on a literal goldmine in Indonesia.
They listed- the share price went through the roof and it looked like the start of something beautiful.
Of course had this been the case it is very unlikely that a movie would have been made out of it.
So this film and "The Wolf Of Wall Street" share not only an actor (McConaughey) but the idea that watching people fail is at least as entertaining as seeing them achieve.
The achiever in this case is McConaughey's Kenny Wells.
Kenny's Father was a prospector and clearly a huge influence on the younger man.
He teams up with a geologist named Mike Acosta (Edgar Ramirez) who has a reputation as a man who can find precious metals.
They set out into the jungles of Indonesia in search of Gold.
The mission is beset with all manner of obstacles to overcome not the least of which is a life threatening bout of malaria for Kenny.
But Mike estimates that they have an eighth of an ounce of gold per tonne which is apparently a lot.
As with the real life story that this is based on that is only the start of it.
 |
| Matthew McConaughey and Edgar Ramirez |
He is a producer but as the lead actor he is in all but a couple of scenes and the film rests on his performance.
He gained a lot of weight for the role and his usual leading man 'do' is replaced by a severely thinned pate.
(Apparently beer and cheeseburgers for six months added the pounds and a similar timeframe was required to lose them)
Appearance is only a part of the formula for a good performance and McConaughey provides the remaining components very nicely indeed.
He has spoken in interviews of this being one of his favourite parts and it isn't hard to see why.
The role allows for a terrific range of comedic, tragic, romantic and heroic moments.
Wells has a loving girlfriend played wonderfully by Bryce Dallas Howard who I am ashamed to say I was not at all a fan of until I saw "Pete's Dragon".
As Kay an apparently not-so-bright barmaid Howard is terrific.
She is sweet, loyal and not nearly as naive as she first appears.
The chemistry between Howard and McConaughey is spot on too and the scenes set during a time of tension in the relationship work really well as a result.
As much as I am now (finally) a fan of Howard and of course of McConaughey I cannot say the same for Edgar Ramirez who I find flat and often boring.
In most parts I have seen him play he seems to be lifeless and uninterested in delivering any emotion at all.
He fares much better here thankfully and at one point his character even smiled then laughed.
Ramirez is actually rather good as Mike a character who has a lot more going on than is first hinted at.
To say more would be spoiler territory but it is safe to say that the film builds to a dramatic and fun conclusion.
Along the way it flirts with International politics, military forces, corruption, business double dealing and of course tiger patting!
(McConaughey is patting a real tiger in this scene too - no CGI here)
 |
| Bryce Dallas Howard as Kay |
There are a bunch of laughs mostly thanks to Kenny's often tacky behaviour.
A scene in which the newly successful Kenny decorates the new office has a fan catastrophe, a bizarre domed deer head and the ultimate in tacky design - a picture of dogs playing poker!
Howard also provides several moments of humour including one in which a drunk Kay reacts to a beautiful woman hitting on Kenny.
While this plays fast and loose with the truth it is right to do so.
This version of events is a lot more fun than the real ones.
Smartly it avoids what for me was one of the weakest aspects of the otherwise excellent "Wolf of Wall Street" and restricts its running time to around two hours.
I felt like the movie was exactly as long as it had to be and no more.
I've mentioned Scorsese's movie a couple of times but other than an actor the pursuit of wealth they are very different films.
Note also that Kenny makes a clear distinction between being obsessed with money and being obsessed with gold and this is another telling difference.
This is a much sweeter natured film than most that deal with similar stories and a lot of that has to do with the lead character and McConaughey's portrayal.
Regardless of how you feel about "Wolf of Wall Street" or "Margin Call" or any of the recent films about stocks, shares, greed and all that goes with it this one deserves a chance.
It's more of a character piece than those and is different in a very good way.
It would be a shame if suffered through unfair comparison.
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