Gold

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bill Camp and Timothy Simons.

Director: Stephen Gaghan

Release Date: 2016

Running Time: 2hrs

Genre: Adventure

Rating: 15

Format: Amazon Prime UK

Synopsis:

Kenny Wells a prospector is desperate for a lucky break, when he sets off with an eager geologist and embarks on a journey to find gold in the heart of the Indonesian jungle.

Inspired by true events. Seven years after the sudden death of his father, Kenny Wells (McConaughey), watches his family's company rapidly decline, putting him out of business. Kenny however doesn't give up on his ambitious dream of finding pure gold, believing that it can be found in the jungles of Indonesia. Before long Wells manages to convince eager geologist Michael Acosta (Ramirez) into embarking on the incredible adventure with him. All risky expeditions come with problems, Wells and Acosta must face disease and failure on their journey, as their dream becomes more and more threatened.

Matthew McConaughey delivers an outstanding performance as prospector Kenny Wells. A determined man who only has eyes for gold and money. McConaughey delivers a tremendous amount of characterisation to his role, in persona and in looks. Along for the ride, he brings along ambitious geologist Michael Acosta, played brilliantly by Edgar Ramirez, although unlike Wells, Acosta however took a little bit more convincing, believing himself that gold lies in the heart of the Indonesian jungles. Both selfishly destroying the beautiful landscapes of Indonesia in the process. It's incredible to think what great lengths people will go to in order to find money and boost their own ego.

The storyline is fascinating and very well executed. The more the story progresses, the more Kenny becomes successful in his search for gold. The storyline explains how complex it can be to find gold, to get the correct funding, to have people believe in you, that at the end of the day you are going to make money. The strain that it puts on the relationship with his wife. Money suddenly becomes more important then family. Money more often then not changes people, whether it be for better or for worse.

Set in the heart of New York City, the stock market. As time progresses, it's all about shares when it comes to Kenny Wells, how much money can be make? Millions? Beautifully shot landscapes of Indonesia. Director Stephen Gaghan hasn't only shown the gorgeous landscape of Indonesia, but shown it's real culture too. The music choice for the film is an interesting one, you're torn between believing that the film could be set in 1970, and in the early 1980's, for the most part the contemporary soundtrack works very well with the film, however there were moments that let the film down, the music didn't necessarily coincide very well with the storyline in particular scenes. A fascinating story about a very determined and selfish man, who made his millions.

4/5 stars