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| Images courtesy Madman Pictures |
Zac Efron stars in the new survival thriller, Gold which sees him tame back his normal charming type for something totally different. Here, he's a grimy, unshaven piece of unkempt human flesh that's only purpose is to guard his very own life against mother nature's wrath.
The film directed by Anthony Hayes sees a duo of desert wasteland dwellers stumble across a large block of gold that they must find a way to transport without being discovered. Efron's character is left behind to guard the priceless chunk of rock as his no good counterpart attempts to find the tools necessary to move it to safety. The transpiring moments are a patience pushing nightmare that sees Efron battling the elements to survive.
Gold is another film which shows exactly how far man's greed will go. Despite all the odds stacked against him and the mortal damage that he may endure, money transcends the importance of our own survival. Set against a vast desert backdrop in an environment that spells certain doom, Efron is nearly a one man show here, elevating a story above its baseline commentary and writing. He once again proves how great he is when given dynamic roles that force him outside his comfort zone. Gold is not an envelope pusher but is a great creative vehicle for his resume in itself.
An overwhelming sense of fear and dread wash over the landscape as Efron's Man #1 attempts to survive the desert by himself with limited water, a bare bones supply of food, no protection from the sun, and has to fight off roaming wolves and snakes so he can cash in on the golden bounty. Gold is an unrelenting film piece that tests the audience's patience with drawn out scenes of pain and suffering all at the cost of becoming rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
The self serving Man #2 is played by director Hayes, who has a long running resume of supporting acting roles in films like Animal Kingdom, The Rover, War Machine and dozens of others. Although he's barely in the film, his mark is completely felt. He uses his script here to create an evil foe to Efron's Man #1, scoring high points for using very limited time to be convincing as a villain that mostly exists off screen via dialogue over a satellite phone.
Gold exists in an undefined time frame that feels like its some post apocalyptic wasteland. There are no markers for when this takes place, but seems like it could be some distant cousin of the Mad Max series as we see roaming, weapon toting bandits that may want to make their own claim. The mysterious presentation along with Efron's perfect performance make this a great viewing, despite repetition and how uncomfortable this whole movie might make you feel.
-CG
