The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Loosely based on the incredible true story of a 1993 gold-mining scandal in the Indonesian jungles, Gold – a movie directed by Syriana’s Stephen Gaghan – offers an interesting yet incredibly unfocused and seemingly overworked cinematic exploration of human integrity and greed which, thanks to a seemingly committed – but perhaps a little overstated – performance from Matthew McConaughey, just about manages to get by.

 The film is set around the story of Kenny Wells (McConaughey); a determined but luckless hustler who comes from a long line of precious metals prospectors who, after his father’s death, is now running his own mining business located in Reno. Unfortunately, the business is not doing so great and he ends up losing his house and is now living with his waitress girlfriend, Kay (Dallas Howard).

Barely making ends meet, Kenny has a dream about discovering gold in the unexplored jungles of Indonesia and decides right then and there to take the risk by pawning what’s left of his jewellery for a ticket to Asia. Tracking down geologist, Michael Acosta (Ramirez) for help, the two soon partner up for the dig. After hitting a few dead ends, the duo eventually hit the jackpot, with their newly-found treasure soon attracting the attention of a Wall Street banker, Brian Woolf (Stoll).  However, it also manages to catch the attention of other money-hungry parties as well as the FBI, whose involvement soon threatens to bury everything they have built right back into the ground.

Money and greed play title characters in Gold; a movie which, just like the recently released The Founder, attempts to dive into the heart of human ego and personal integrity when faced with a sudden and unfathomable fortune. The energy and the overall pace of the movie is relatively well-balanced in the story’s first half and it’s relatively exciting to watch as the seemingly unrecognisable McConaughey –is finding himself hustling to keep his company alive before eventually partnering up with Acosta and striking gold.

Unfortunately, though, the movie loses its footing as the second half comes rolling with the somewhat hollow and predictable script – penned by Patrick Massett and John Zinman – getting lost in the midst of an overindulgent 80’s setup – the pop tunes are almost too much to bear – as well as a superfluous supporting cast of characters whose names and presence are quickly lost in the blur.

Luckily, Matthew McConaughey’s ferocious commitment to the role as the greasy, sweaty and chain-smoking hustler is the glue that keeps it all together and, although the Academy award-winner does tend to overplay his hand at times, it’s his infectious energy that keeps the boat afloat.