Gold - Movie Review
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Based on a true story, this lively and sometimes outrageous adventure is packed with twists and turns that the audience never sees coming. It's a complex series of events that sometimes gets a bit bogged down in the under-explained details, but the characters are fantastic. And at the centre, Matthew Mcconaughey shines in a role that requires him to completely change the way he looks.
It's set in the late 1980s, as the fast-talking salesman Kenny (McConaughey) is trying to raise funding in Reno for a project he has been dreaming about for decades: prospecting for gold in Indonesia. He is sure there's a fortune in those mountains, but everyone else is dubious. And even as he's on the verge of losing everything, his wife Kay (Bryce Dallas Howard) quietly stands by him. In desperation, he gets on a plane to Jakarta, pitching his idea to local adventurer Michael (Edgar Ramirez), who escorts him into an area populated by head-hunters. When the companies back in America hear that they've found gold, there's more money than Kenny and Michael can count. But the FBI suspects it's a scam.
McConaughey is magnetic as the balding, overweight Kenny, a guy who simply won't take no for an answer. He is convinced that there's gold in the rainforest, even though no one has ever seen any, and his optimism is infectious to both the other characters and the movie's audience. This makes all the men in suits opposite Kenny look rather dull by comparison. Howard gives her role a powerful kick of emotion, although Kay is sidelined by the plot. And Ramirez gets some terrific scenes as the Indiana Jones-style explorer. All of these people seem to be caught up in a flood of events they have no control over, and the film races along without pausing for breath.
This kind of makes the movie feel like it's scamming the audience, blinding us with reports of profits and business plans when we can see that something nefarious is going on. The events are so crazy that they would be impossible to believe if they weren't true. But the thing that catches our attention is Kenny's personal journey, as his wildest success leads him into a hedonistic lifestyle that gets increasingly dangerous even though he never loses faith in his vision. This positive energy carries us through even when the film begins to feel somewhat superficial. And even if Kenny's big dream doesn't quite go as hoped, the movie reminds us of the power of hope.
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Facts and Figures
Year: 2016
Genre: Dramas
Run time: 88 mins
In Theaters: Monday 30th January 2017
Production compaines: Living Films, Hwy61, Black Bear Pictures
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 3.5 / 5
IMDB: 7.4 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Producer: Matthew McConaughey, Patrick Massett, John Zinman, Michael Nozik, Teddy Schwarzman
Screenwriter: Patrick Massett, John Zinman
Starring: Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, Bryce Dallas Howard as Kay, Edgar Ramírez as Michael Acosta, Timothy Simons as Jackson, Michael Landes as Binkert, Stacy Keach as Clive Coleman, Corey Stoll as Brian Woolf, Toby Kebbell as Jennings, Macon Blair as Connie Wright, Bill Camp as Hollis Dresher, Lora Martinez-Cunningham as Donna, Frank Wood as Scottie Nevins, William Sterchi as Walt Kealer, Adam LeFevre as Bobby Burns, Dylan Kenin as Levine, Joshua Harto as Lloyd Stanton, Matthew Page as Hart Hubbard, Jackamoe Buzzell as Carl, Sahajak Boonthanakit as Minister of Mining, Kristen Rakes as Carissa, Danny Winn as Investor, Ben Whitehair as Banks, Stafford Douglas as Henry Andrews, Catherine Haun as Angry Investor, John Pirkis as Lewis Horne, Richard Beal as Investor / Broker, Hank Rogerson as Finance Show Host, Jacob Browne as FBI Agent, John Wojda as Cranepool, Bob Jesser as Investor, Bhavesh Patel as Owens, Julian Wondolowski as Bar Patron, Marybeth Massett as Rachel's Friend, Joe Girard as Board Room Member, Cheo Tapia as Bar Patron, Joanne Camp as Bev, Karan Choudhary as Bar Patron, Lionel Archuleta as Luis Bungalon, Craig T. Nelson as Kenny Wells
Also starring: Edgar Ramirez, Patrick Massett, John Zinman, Michael Nozik