Gold has some of the glitter of an Oscar-winner but you don't have to inspect it too closely to realise that it ain't quite the real deal.
A lurid if unmemorable rise, fall, rise again, fall again tale of pot-luck gold prospecting.
The main recommendation is McConaughey himself, who digs into every last quirk of his character, giving an immensely lively performance in the process. The film itself, though, doesn’t gleam at all in the way that might have been hoped.
It's mildly diverting, but nothing more.
This film about a 1990s financial scandal lacks the requisite insight and satirical wit, leaving McConaughey’s gold miner hero to seem smug and grandstanding.
“You sell your dream, what do you have left?” he argues as he casually rejects a $300million windfall. A little more of that crazed confidence in the telling of the story and Gold could have been a 24-carat film.
Nothing you haven’t seen done better elsewhere, this one’s a missed opportunity. McConaughey’s hard work is impressive, but that’s the only message Gold is interested in conveying.
Matthew McConaughey as a repulsive mineral prospector exposes the naked greed of the American dream, but Stephen Gaghan’s film can’t dig any deeper.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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