Ouro e Cobiça

What got me about this flick, was the whole risk element. When your at your very lowest, with nothing left to lose, then risking everything, isn't too difficult. Matthew McConaughey is brilliant as he always is. The mystery of his ability is different from other actors. He looks, talks and seems very much the same in all his roles, yet somehow makes you believe he is that person. Bryce Howard also gives a good performance. Her physical appearance is trans-formative, and you clearly would never recognize her. This movie combined the elements of a treasure hunt, and the allure and adventure of the find, with a corporate thriller. Realism, however, prevents me from going higher. I'm already stretching it with rating it an 8. The strange ups and downs that happened, along with the not so surprise of an ending, is the stretch that leaves it at the 8 point. Nonetheless, its highly entertaining, and I recommend it just as highly.

Essentially, 'Gold' is an old fashioned adventure movie. A hostile environment, changing fortunes, shifting alliances, unexpected adversaries, a seemingly betrayed friendship: it's all there. But the setting is out of the ordinary: it's the financial world with millions of dollars pumped into promising mining stocks. But those millions can just as quickly be withdrawn when the prospects change.

The adventurer in the midst of it all is Kenny Wells, son of a Nevada gold prospector and heir to an almost bankrupt mining company. In an all-or-nothing attempt, he travels to Indonesia for a meeting with a legendary drilling expert. The next step is to find the money required for the drilling. What follows, is a roller-coaster ride of successes and setbacks.

Matthew McConaughey is amazing as Kenny Wells, a raving maniac with a fearless can-do mentality and a complete lack of respect for Wall Street hotshots or mining moguls. This is one of his best roles ever, and it's worth an Oscar. You can see the doubt in the eyes of everyone he meets: is this a madman who doesn't know what he's up to, or a go-getter who doesn't give up until he reaches his goal? Wells is both, and McConaughey makes his complex character completely believable.

There are some extra layers in the story underlining this complexity: the relationship with his wife Kay, and the friendship with his business partner Mike Acosta. The latter is responsible for the spectacular ending of the story, with a really nice surprise in the last seconds.

The whole story is based on the Bre-X scandal, which hit the worldwide headlines in the nineties. Some details are changed, but on the whole the story follows the real events pretty accurate. The scandal was a prime example of excessive capitalist greed, and the film is a nice reminder of it.

A cute, if too long movie that had me reaching for Wikipedia to check the truth.

McConaughey, Ramirez and Howard are all excellent.

A solid watch.

First of, Gold is better than its IMDb rating and meta-score. I feel this movie is a victim of the studio going wild with a pair of scissors, trying to make it short(er) (even at 2 hours) to please the mainstream audience, but while doing that, this movie loses a lot of substance. Character development is lacking, apart from our protagonist, so it doesn't really feel like we get to know them. One moment we have a new (seemingly an important) character, and then he or she will either disappear or roam in the background. I guess that happens when you start cutting. I suspect there's a great version of this movie out there, and I'd rather watch a 3 hour version with everything included, than this. The movie also takes place in the late 80's(?) or early 90's, but I don't feel like time was important here, which makes things a little confusing. I have no idea if they've been at something for a week, a month, or five years.

The whole movie also feels a little rushed in the sense that it tries to get to the end as quickly as possible. It lacks the details; Slow down a little, speak to us, breathe. I want to know more, I want to see more, but it ends up being a National Geographic article instead of a book.

It's far from bad though, and it's an enjoyable watch. Just don't go in expecting a masterpiece.

Longing for the American dream should never be inextricable from the determination of an individual. Dreaming about achieving a goal should go hand in hand with proactively doing it. Without veering off on a transcendentalist tangent, let me introduce Kenny Wells. Wells is a pot-bellied, greased up chain smoking alcoholic, perhaps uncomfortably seen as the heir to the throne of the Washoe Mining Company based in 'the biggest little city in the world' and where Johnny Cash sang of a prisoner shooting a man, 'just to watch him die'. The one and only, Reno, Nevada. So maybe I haven't painted Wells in such a great light so far. He certainly isn't the godchild of Emerson, but that's what director Stephen Gaghan appears to try and convey. This is Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey as you've never witnessed before, presented in a way that's far from an idealised sharp-suited image of the American dreamer and stoically opposed to Ron Woodward's skeletal frame in his winning performance in 2013's 'Dallas Buyers Club'. However, he's the film's gleaming treasure in a somewhat clichéd quest for glory, even if the main aesthetic shine is only from his forehead in an Indonesian jungle.

'Gold' is loosely based upon the Bre-X mining scandal of 1993 with Gaghan confusingly transporting us straight back to the 1980s to a world of questionable suits, post-punk, Iggy Pop and the romantic aspirations of Wells. His journey is somewhat instigated by the death of his father, luring him further into the volatile and unpredictable world of gold mining, conducting the train through its successes and abrupt halts. From the smoky testosterone filled bars of Reno to the sweat inducing tropics of Borneo, we realise how integral McConaughey's performance is to the success and believability of the narrative. Although somewhat charismatic through his wittiness and general naivety to the overall project, Kenny Wells is a man who is out to make money. Wells' sidekick, geologist Michael Acosta (Edgar Ramirez), is bestowed with elements of morality and spirituality, clearly seen in his proactive interaction with the Indonesian people. So therefore, Wells' financial determination combined with Acosta's endearing qualities and intelligence make the relationship such a strong focal point of the film. The strength of the characters makes the adventure seem almost tangible, yet still questionable.

Looking at McConaughey's transformation, you may just begin to question how Kaylene (Bryce Dallas-Howard) has fallen for such a downtrodden hopeless wanderer. However it's her innocent undying belief in him that makes Wells' decline even more forceful. There is an essence of the childhood sweetheart in her demeanour, the archetypal support mechanism to Kenny's weaknesses. Yes, she rides on the wave of success to its highest heights with Wells, lavishing herself in material riches but in a way, she is the moral spine of the film, never losing sight of the real Kenny Wells she's grown up loving. Kaylene acts just as much as the voice of reason as Michael Acosta and it is the combination of powerful relationships that we will really take away from the screen. The dizzying heights of financial success ultimately lead to a strenuous, yet somewhat predictable breakdown between Kenny and Kaylene and we can't help but feel like she is completely unworthy of any of it. Whiskey plus money plus the inability to maintain your dignity…. Well you know the rest. That's not saying Kenny Wells is a vile person, despite his, for want of a better term, shabby look. We're willing everything to work out for both of them, yet the American dream just becomes too much to handle.

McConaughey's character compared to the regimental sharp suited Wall Street bankers is a deliberate contrast by Gaghan. Our willingness for the sugar coated American dream to work out is pitted against the cold-hearted capitalist intentions of Brian (Corey Stoll). Wells' resilience to counteract an offer made by Stoll and his legion of top button fastened, tight tied troubadours, can only be admired. The ambition to fight against globalisation, to hold onto your dreams, to recapture lost determination and to let nothing stand in your way in fighting for what you want, is made believable through McConaughey's stellar performance. However, in what should be an adventure full of undying speed to keep up with the lustful desire for success, the film's narrative is too slow to match the pace of Wells' dreams. McConaughey is the glitter in a film without much gold.