Gold

The survival of the year right at the turn of the year.A great debut and a great one man show from Zac Efron, who reaches the peak of his acting powers. The film has a simple story about two strangers travelling through the Australian desert. When their car breaks down they are forced to stop and by sheer chance they discover a huge nugget of gold and agree that one (Efron) will guard the gold and the other will go and get the tools they need to get the it out. It is a slower, but it meets the highest standards in its sub-genre and I think it holds up well on all fronts. Efron's performance is excellent (there’s an incredible transformation at the end of the film where the makeup artists must be commended). Apart from the great visuals and the rugged wildlife, I enjoyed the all sorts of trappings from wild dogs, snakes, hallucinations, a desert storm, scorching sun, running out of water and unwelcome guests. There is one twist that is readable throughout, yet I can't think of a better one. The Australian wild dogs give you incredible respect and goosebumps at the end. A film about greed, perseverance, dreams and hopelessness. Story 3/5, Action 3/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 1/5, Actors 4/5. 8/10. (01/25/2022)

I didn’t expect more than I got, so all is well. The make-up is good and so is Efron, and Gold has a concept and a conclusion that you wouldn’t expect from a movie with him in it. Drought, heat, blisters and a sandstorm. But don’t expect a festival film, which is what this perhaps was intended to be. P.S. Also, would you sit or lie in a tent (i.e. in the shade) in 50-degree heat for several days in boots, pants, an undershirt and a shirt? That’s the one thing in this film that I didn’t understand. (01/29/2022)

Gold, on the one hand, impresses with its raw premise, the audiovisual, the make-up work and the performance of Zac Efron, who probably won't be getting a tan again, while on the other hand I felt a certain amount of untapped potential – the whole story turned out almost as expected. I praise the camera work, even if the film often recycles shots with a lone tree and silhouettes on the horizon, and I liked the soundtrack as well. Efron definitely tried a different type or role in Gold, and I found Anthony Hayes (both as director and writer) bland, while Susie Porter was quite impressive in a smaller role. The film didn't skimp on rawness, yet – except for the ending – it left me mostly cold in that regard. Better three stars! (01/28/2022)

Watch how Zac Efron slowly dries out in the middle of the desert next to a huge nugget of gold. The attempt at being an artsy movie falls flat; the interesting camerawork does instill an artsy type of atmosphere, but Gold doesn’t just go deep enough. But we do get a great acting performance, supported by great peeling-face make-up. I’m gonna stay with the gold. (02/02/2022)

Taken as an unapologetic indie survivor burner from an aspiring debutante, I'm happy with this. Sunburn, mere non-specific references to the world beyond the desert, sandstorms, and a permanent feeling of being completely drained. Except I kind of think he's pining for Lighthouse. I mean, bleak limbo, hallucinations, animals munching on your liver, misanthropy in full force, and a former teen idol trying to rebrand himself (but on the Pattison scale he's currently at the level of The Rover). And the whole film can safely wreck itself against that comparison. (04/26/2022)