Flicks, Matt Glasby
Having received – excuse the pun – a bit of a panning elsewhere, Stephen Gaghan's lively rise-and-fall drama arrives on these shores as soiled goods.
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Gold (2016)
Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan directs Matthew McConaughey as relentless gold prospector Kenny Wells in this drama stretching from the bar and boardroom to remote sites of gold reserves. Inspired by true events.
Based on the true story of the Bre-X Mineral Corporation mining scandal, Gold follows struggling hustler Kenny Wells and equally luckless geologist Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramírez) on their mission to find gold in the uncharted Indonesian jungle. Their subsequent success then sparks an adventure through the most powerful Wall Street boardrooms.
2016Rating: M, Offensive language121 minsUSA
AdventureDramaThriller
- Director:
- Stephen Gaghan ('Syriana', 'Abandon')
- Writer:
- Patrick MassettJohn Zinman
- Cast:
- Matthew McConaugheyBryce Dallas HowardEdgar RamírezTimothy SimonsMichael LandesStacy KeachRachael TaylorBruce GreenwoodCorey Stoll
Gold (2016) / Reviews
Variety
For those willing to take the characters at face value, it's a deliriously entertaining ride, as a man with a dream drops his last quarter in the slot machine and goes home with the entire casino.
Full reviewThe New York Times
"Gold" could have been a biting satire of greed and folly, a neo-Conradian tale of Western misadventure in Asia, a rousing fable of underdog triumph or a caper comedy. It tries, in its frantic, clumsy fashion, to be all of those things ...
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Rolling Stone
McConaughey deep dives into his role as a mad-dog prospector like a starving man sitting down to a feast. As a movie, Gold is slim pickings. But McConaughey keeps you riveted.
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NPR
We've been here many romps before, and one wishes that for once, someone would make a film on this subject without making the obligatory sharp turn into folksy, facile populism that Gold and its ilk inevitably do.
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Los Angeles Times
Like the quintessential experience most treasure seekers have with a pan full of promising gravel: a lot of hopeful swirl, with little meaningful result.
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Hollywood Reporter
[McConaughey's] intensity never flags. What's missing from this story of struggle and glory and the need to believe is a fever to match his.
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Collider
Gold highlights the importance of character and story, and the simple fact that if you care enough about the character and are engaged in his or her journey, the movie can still work despite other problems.
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