Gold

"Survive at any cost"

2022 1h 37m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 678

ActionAdventureThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the not-too-distant future, two drifters traveling through the desert stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found and the dream of immense wealth and greed takes hold. They hatch a plan to excavate their bounty, with one man leaving to secure the necessary tools while the other remains with the gold. The man who remains must endure harsh desert elements, ravenous wild dogs, and mysterious intruders, while battling the sinking suspicion that he has been abandoned to his fate.

“Survive at any cost”

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Cast

Zac Efron
Virgil
Anthony Hayes
Keith
Susie Porter
The Stranger
Andreas Sobik
Outpost attendant
Akuol Ngot
Mother on train
Thiik Biar
Baby on train

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anthony Hayes
Writers: Polly Smyth, Anthony Hayes
Languages: English, Portuguese
Countries: Australia, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 3% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anthony Hayes, shot by Ross Giardina. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Antony Partos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sean Lahiff shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Zac Efron and Anthony Hayes and Susie Porter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anthony Hayes directs. Ross Giardina behind the camera. Antony Partos scores. Sean Lahiff cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 3% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 4 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.
4International production across 2 countries: Australia, United States of America.
5Directed by Anthony Hayes, shot by Ross Giardina. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Antony Partos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Sean Lahiff shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Zac Efron and Anthony Hayes and Susie Porter carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Survive at any cost".
10IMDB entry: tt6020800 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ross Giardina
Original score: Antony Partos
Editing: Sean Lahiff
Production design: Sam Hobbs
Costume design: Anna Borghesi
Makeup / hair: Jennifer Lamphee
Sound: Frank Lipson
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,500,000
Box office: $176,048
Return: 3% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Gold (2022)

Also by

Anthony Hayes

Ten Empty
2008 · ★ 2.5

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-02
★ 5/10
No character has a name in this, but Clint Eastwood it isn't. Zac Efron is taking a pee out in the desert when he spots an uncommonly large deposit of gold. His pal Anthony Hayes and he try to move it, but it's just too big. Plan? Well Hayes decides to head to the nearest town to try and procure some heavy lifting equipment and leaves Zac to keep watch. Hmmm? Well, anyway Hayes isn't exactly rushing back to his friend who is gradually running out of food, water, having hallucinations, fending off wild dogs and even a rogue Irish women as his grasp on reality starts to slip... Efron is actually not bad as the man who gradually succumbs to despair and dehydration, but the story plods along far too slowly for almost eighty minutes before the last ten minutes provide a denouement with a bit of a twist to the tale. It is good that Efron is pushing himself away from his pretty boy roles - indeed the make-up folks here do such a good job that I doubt even a biblical leper would welcome him into their home, but the story all takes way too long to get going and the it, quite literally, crawls along. The production does look good - the desert photography has an almost naturally sepia colour to it that emphasises just how hostile this terrain is and the narrative does say something about the degree to which greed is hard wired into our psyche though; and the perils we will endure or permit to obtain wealth. Thought provoking? Maybe, but it's still really quite a wearisome watch and I'm not sure I would bother again.

Production companies