Film Review: GOLD (2022): Zac Efron Turns in A Physically Demanding Performance in a Futuristic Drama

Gold Review

Gold (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Anthony Hayes and starring Zac Efron, Anthony Hayes, Susie Porter and Andreas Sobik.

Zac Efron is one of the most underrated actors working today even though he has had some pretty well-received films throughout his career. We haven’t seen him get a lot of awards consideration for his roles so it makes sense he would take on a project as ambitious as director Anthony Hayes’ Gold. Efron’s performance in the new film is the kind that could lead to Oscar “gold” in the right hands. Movies that are essentially one-man shows like Tom Hanks’ drama Cast Away can help show an actor’s ability to convey complex emotions which are much harder to express when there is an absence of dialogue. Efron won’t win the Oscar, though. Hey, Hanks lost too so Efron shouldn’t feel too bad. Unfortunately, Efron probably won’t get a nod like Hanks did but Gold is sure to be a stepping stone for Efron to future high-profile dramatic projects.

Gold opens with Efron’s nameless character from out West getting off a train. He’s wandering and meets another man (“Man Two”) who has agreed to transport Efron’s “Man One” to a location for $200. Soon, Man Two (played by the director Anthony Hayes) is informing Man One that $200 is not enough to cover the trip and that Man One must also pay gas money in addition to the agreed upon $200 fee. Man One is noticeably upset but doesn’t stop the trip to where he is going. As the plot thickens, the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. While trying to figure out their next steps, Man Two tries to make conversation with Man One and discover why Man One has felt abandoned in his life and compelled to travel to his planned destination.

Where Gold really picks up momentum is when Efron’s character discovers a nice sized chunk of –what else?–gold. Man One calls Man Two over and they discuss the idea of one of them going to get what is needed to take the gold to a place where they can profit and live happily ever after. Efron’s character is asked to go by Man Two while Man Two stays behind to keep the gold company so that nobody else gets their hands on it. Man One suggests that he, himself, stay behind with the gold while Man Two goes to get equipment to help take the gold to a better place where they can both ultimately live fruitful lives. Man One thus stays behind and the remainder of the film’s plot is unleashed where he will have to fight for survival while waiting for the return of Man Two. Besides the presence of wild animals, a third character makes an appearance in the film as well and it’s a woman played by Susie Porter who delivers a fierce performance and livens the movie up as it reaches a level of solemn intensity that becomes overbearing at times throughout the picture’s running time.

With fierce sandstorms, and shots of the sun, the cinematic nature of Gold is quite compelling. It’s an Australian production and the overall feel of the film is fine. Efron is more than fine in his role here. Efron is playing a man who has been beaten up by life emotionally and is about to be hit by some harsh realities physically especially in a scene where Efron’s character is severely injured by a tree branch. The overall problem with the picture is that the character development is a bit lacking. This is no doubt very intentional but still hurts the quality of the film. In Cast Away, there was a preliminary backstory which is missing here (probably intentionally, but still).

Efron nevertheless acquits himself admirably in the role going through a wide range of emotions as his character tries to do whatever it is possible to stay alive with the hopes of a better future. The picture’s ending, without giving too much away, is open ended in some respects and we’re never quite sure of what exactly happened with a key character in the movie. Gold rests on Efron’s performance and although Hayes does everything he can to hold his own beside Efron, Hayes just doesn’t have the movie star appeal that Efron has making it Efron’s movie from beginning to end. And, Efron is more than welcome to have the film to himself.

Gold is a showcase that will highlight Efron’s more dramatic acting qualities and although the picture is lacking overall in terms of some key ingredients, it’s nevertheless interesting and Gold could appeal to audiences looking for something with a lot of action and a little bit of a darker edge than you find in everyday movies but there’s far less character development here than the always reliable Efron deserved.

Rating: 6/10

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