A desperate man in a hellish landscape fights to survive on a precarious quest for riches. Gold is a lean parable of the blinding nature of greed. Zac Efron gives a quiet and strikingly physical lead performance. Much of the film depicts his solitary struggle. Gold doesn’t offer many surprises. The outcome is fairly predictable. But the protagonist’s descent into savagery and terror is fascinating to see.
Gold takes place in an unknown remote, arid, and dusty setting. A disheveled man (Zac Efron) arrives by train to a ramshackle outpost. He’s looking for his ride to the “compound.” The driver (Anthony Hayes) wonders why he would come to the middle of desolate nowhere. The man is looking for work. A flyer shows promising opportunities for mining.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
The driver’s old truck takes them ominously towards the horizon. A fateful bathroom break leads the man to a stunning discovery. They try to dig their treasure out. Someone has to return with an excavator. The man refuses to leave. He doesn’t trust the driver. He’ll stay behind and wait for the equipment. The driver leaves scant supplies of food, water, and a stark warning. Mind the water, vicious wild dogs, and most importantly, your sanity.
Zac Efron Gets His Hands Dirty
Gold is a grim tale from start to finish. We are never given any real details about the protagonist. He simply has no other options. Zac Efron is covered with sweat and filth. The sun blisters his skin as he does everything possible to protect a buried fortune. He says very little until a change in circumstances forces him to speak. It reveals the true lengths of his resolve.
Famed Australian actor Anthony Hayes (Animal Kingdom, The Rover) co-writes (w/Polly Smith), directs, and stars as the driver. His character has most of the film’s dialogue. Hayes paints a sparse, ugly, and brutal picture of man’s worst instincts. The environment is extremely dangerous. Common sense and self-preservation vanish when the mother lode is found. The men ostensibly need each other to secure the wealth. The question arises, why not have it all?
Zac Efron initially built his career on the genetic lottery. He’s gone from a good-looking teenage heartthrob to a capable actor testing his range. His turn as serial killer Ted Bundy was a significant leap. He continues that journey successfully here. Efron forges a character with minimal exposition. The protagonist finds a sliver of hope in a bleak life. Then works feverishly against the elements, animals, and interlopers. Gold’s best scenes has Efron struggling in miserable silence. He skillfully emotes raw exhaustion, thirst, and eventual malice. It’s a captivating turn for an actor who’s getting better in challenging films.
Gold’s biggest drawback is austerity. There is no fluff to this film whatsoever. Everything you expect to happen plays out accordingly. Gold needs to be viewed as a primal character study. In that sense, it’s well-acted and directed. A modicum of patience is required for this one. Anthony Hayes also does a great job staging the merciless terrain. Those wild dogs are scary as hell.
Gold is produced by Rogue Star Productions, Deeper Water Films, and Ingenious Media. It will have a North American theatrical release on March 4th from Screen Media Films.
