Gold

A traditionally well-prepared McConaughey, giving his usual 100 percent to his role. Otherwise, however, this is a rather uninteresting film inspired by a true story, which follows in the footsteps of American Hustle in its retro style, but lacking vivacity and passion. Other than a couple of emotionally accomplished situations, it’s a real borefest. (05/08/2017)

The film seemed utterly mediocre to me. I was only impressed by the performance of Matthew McConaughey, whom I don't like very much, but he was so sleazy this time that it was impossible not to notice him. I didn't care for his Kenny at first, but the longer I watched, the more interesting he got. I don’t think I’ll watch Gold again, but I'll remember Kenny for a long time. (08/19/2017)

After Syriana, it was hard for me to imagine a better plated table than the one I'm once again invited to join with a smiling Robert Elswit and Stephen Gaghan, along with McConaughey smoking in the background, whose acting method of taking his shirt off during the film is a particularly drastic experience here. But it's this overload of egos that makes Gold a first-rate, dynamic, and entertaining spectacle, though unlike Traffic, Syriana, or, say, There Will Be Blood, it lacks any socio-economic relevance and fails to bridge the character of a slimy little man who, while not evil, is ultimately not all that interesting. The only thing that makes him a distinct character is McConaughey's method of "A Slimy Creep in Three Steps; chapter Teeth, Baldness, and Pimples". I must confess, I ended up missing Elswit's brilliant framing of even simple dialogue scenes, never settling for three cuts of talking busts, characters entering the frame from uncharacteristic close by, or the camera gradually revealing the structure of a scene with its movement. But to set it in a bigger whole than an actor's Oscar-hopeful ramblings in a story based on a true event, I would have fallen asleep better. (05/23/2017)

Through and through a mediocre story about how a fat bum came to happiness, based solely on yet another sweaty and enthusiastic creation of master Matthew, which flounders along in a muddled two-hour film with no significant emotional moments, surprising twists or truly original directorial ideas. And not even the the well thought-out structure of the script or the decent retro jacket can completely save it. (08/15/2017)

Though Gold has a plot structure with the right punchlines, it has no drive and the director’s way of doing things is too detached. And the choice of songs used in the soundtrack is downright dubious. The movie would benefit from more skillful, faster storytelling and some vivacity like American Hustle had (both films take place in a similar retro America). (02/20/2017)