The story follows a hunt for gold in the late 80’s, and the inevitable complications with cashing in. Gold has floated around since 2011, initially catching the eye of Michael Mann as director before being passed on to several other filmmakers interested in the film.
Matthew McConaughey sports a balding head and large gut as Kenny, who steals his partner’s, Kay (Bryce Dallas Howard), gold Jewelry, selling it to a Reno pawnshop in the first few moments. From there he heads to Indonesia with Michael (Edgar Ramírez), finds gold, starts a business, and things derail from there. At least that’s what the trailer gives us.
Pitched as Treasure of the Sierra Madre, the trailer plays out more to the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street, but between that and the absence of “modern-actors in retro-clothing dress-up feel” that most period pieces have recently inhabited, this film appears to based more in reality. Having been in development for five years looks to be in its benefit, as it features a serious and sometimes unrecognizable cast who have in part only accumulated fame in the last two years. Above all else, it’s an original story, and is based off nothing but the imagination of screenwriters Patrick Masset (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and John Zinman (Friday Night Lights).
While it doesn’t have the hyper-stylization of Michael Mann (probably for the best), the voice of screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (Syriana) stepping up as director shines through. Evidently, he knows how to hold an extensive cast together as Stacy Keach, Rachel Taylor, Toby Kebbel, as well as a glimpse of Jeremy Saulnier regular, Macon Blair (Green Room), appear throughout the trailer.
Gold arrives Christmas Day, 2016. Let’s hope it’s worth the wait.
