One of my favorite shows on TV is “Gold Rush” because it is interesting to see how people mine for the precious metal. (It is harder than you may think.) How much earth is moved to try to get just an ounce of gold is mind blowing, and when you add the fact that my dad was an engineer for one of the world’s largest coal company, I have an additional layer if interest in the field.
“Gold” deals with this in the new film directed by Stephen Gaghan (Syriana, Abandor) as he helms a cast including Matthew McConaughey (Dazed and Confused, Dallas Buyers Club), Edward Ramirez (Joy, Vantage Point), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help, Black Mirror), Corey Stoll (The Strain, Ant-Man), Toby Kebbell (Warcaft, A Monster Calls), Timothy Simons (Veep, The Interview), and Craig T. Nelson (Coach, The Incredibles). It is the true story of Kenny Wells (McConaughey), who runs a family mining company that has hit hard times after the passing of his father (Nelson). Kenny reaches out to Michael Acosta (Ramirez), a geologist known for finding areas with huge mineral deposits, who believes an area in Indonesia houses a huge gold deposit, so Kenny decides to back Michael in the venture in one last try to be successful. Upon arriving in Indonesia, they find out that they have hit the mother load by the drilling samples, taking the mining world by storm.
This film had some incredible scenes in the jungle in 1980s Indonesia, with great historic accuracy shot in a way that reminded me of a television show from that era. The plot and story line was good, paced pretty well meaning that film was about two hours long that slowed a bit in the middle but still kept me interested. There were a few times were things got a little confusing, so make sure to pay attention to keep everything straight, especially with a major twist by in the third act which I truly enjoyed.
McConaughey did very well (including gaining forty-five pounds for the role, playing the role and conveying Wells’ vices to a tee), doing his part to contribute to great chemistry between the cast especially with Ramirez and McConaughey. I did like this film overall, but it did seem a little long. But McConaughey did well as usual. I will recommend this film as a matinee showing in the theaters.