O Ouro de Ullises

Excellent tale about a man who gets involved with 2 men intent on getting their hands on a stash of stolen loot from an armored car robbery. Unique story with an actor I haven't seen since he hit middle age. Peter Fonda still has the same soulful eyes he had when I first saw him in "Wild Angels" back in the mid-60's. His acting has improved considerably over the years; I thought his old underground films were somewhat amateurish back then. This was a fine movie which reminded me a little of his western "The Hired Hand" from some 20 years ago. Well worth watching.

This movie is great in a number of ways. For a start, it shows Peter Fonda is a truly accomplished screen actor and not merely Henry's son, Jane's brother or Bridget's dad. It is a pity that he has had so few good roles to play over the years and his acting career has been largely disappointing. However,he totally brings the character of Ulee to life . Ulee is a decent man trying to do the right thing and when you see this film you are behind him all the way, willing him to overcome all the obstacles he encounters.This film, while a mostly straightforward simple tale,lifts the spirits and is a direct result of how positive the script is. Peter Fonda should make more films like this or he soon might find himself looking for the few good 'grandfather' roles out there in the movie world.

Surely one of the best human dramas of the last few years, Peter Fonda is great as Ulee Jackson, a deeply wounded but incredibly strong man who by sheer strength of will reaches out to drag back together a shattered family. His performance is a masterpiece of understatement; we can almost physically sense the roiling depths of anger and resentment that lie below his cold, almost imperturbable exterior. The crime subplot never takes precedence over the gripping family drama that is the movie's core. It is wonderful to see the various characters gradually becoming re-integrated into a functioning family; i.e. The daughter's appearing late at night in the work area to help Ulee, whose restrictions up to then she has mightily resented, with his backbreaking work.

Few have commented on the double entendre of the movie's title. Ulee's "Gold" is, on its surface, the honey he works to produce. At the film's conclusion we see that "Gold" might also refer to the long-lost money that is at the crime subplot's core. In actuality, we could have a TRIPLE entendre in that we can see that the real "Gold" might actually refer to the family he has brought together again.

After seeing this movie, I could not help but notice that Peter Fonda resembled a later day version of Tom Joad - a character that his father, Henry, played in "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940). Fonda deserved the Golden Globe for this movie. I liked the depth of his character, Ulee Jackson. The story is sluggish at times, but the performances shine from start to finish. Score: 8 (out of 10).

Peter Fonda should have won the Oscar for this film. After he didn't, I boycotted the movies for a full 12 months. Fonda gave the performance of a lifetime in this film about a solitary Florida bee-keeper trying to keep what's left of his family together.

This is not light entertainment. This is realistic film-making at its best.

There is no Hollywood "fix" ending. These are real people with really serious problems trying to make their way through with the least amount of damage.

Forget the Academy....see this film and ask yourself who deserved the Best Actor Oscar....