Gold (2022 Australian film)

Last updated

Gold
Gold (2022 film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Anthony Hayes
Written by
  • Anthony Hayes
  • Polly Smyth
Produced by
  • Anthony Hayes
  • John Schwarz
  • Michael Schwarz
Starring
CinematographyRoss Giardina
Edited bySean Lahiff
Music by Antony Partos
Production
companies
Distributed by Madman Entertainment
Release date
  • 13 January 2022 (2022-01-13)
Running time
97 minutes [1] [2]
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$229,689 [1]

Gold is a 2022 Australian survival thriller film directed by Anthony Hayes. It stars Zac Efron, Susie Porter, and Anthony Hayes. The film was internationally released on 13 January 2022, before making its debut on streaming service Stan on 26 January 2022.

Contents

Plot

In a dystopian near-future, a lone traveller named Virgil arrives at an outpost and pays local man Keith to transport him to an area known as The Compound.

Travelling through an inhospitable desert, the two eventually discover an enormous gold nugget in a remote area after Virgil overheats the car by turning on the air conditioning.

After failing to extract it with their basic tools and truck, Keith suggests staying with the gold while Virgil leaves to try and find an excavator, suggesting he does not have what it takes to survive alone. Virgil argues that he should be the one to stay with the gold instead as he found it. Keith leaves Virgil with his remaining supplies and an estimated return of 5 days.

As time goes on Virgil begins to deteriorate both physically and mentally as paranoia sets in. In his searches for firewood to keep wild dogs away, he comes across a crashed plane.

Virgil makes himself a shelter next to the gold from pieces he scavenges from the plane. During that time he encounters a scorpion which he lets be, and a snake, which in his attempts to kill with his pocket knife, he accidentally knocks over a day's worth of water.

After several days awaiting upon Keith's return, a lone woman comes across Virgil as he is scavenging more from the plane. The woman is immediately suspicious of Virgil and his reasoning for being alone in the desert, also announcing her knowledge of his camp by the tree. She makes her way over to investigate and Virgil follows.

Stating her hatred of people who are fleeing the cities for the resources of her land, and accusing Virgil of hiding something, he kills her with his shovel and buries her body. Her shallow grave is later dug up by a wild dog, Virgil drags her away from camp and burns her body in the night.

A day later a sandstorm destroys the camp and tree, leaving Virgil wounded from a branch through the stomach and without any supplies.

Virgil's health further deteriorates from removing the tree branch and additional sun exposure. Waking up after a period of unconsciousness to another female scavenger pointing a crossbow at him, before falling unconscious again and having strange visions of the scorpion and scavenger.

He awakes to the scavenger offering to help him to a watering hole and offering food. Virgil shouts for her to leave. The woman asks about him knowing her sister and disappears.

Virgil makes contact with Keith via radio, who informs Virgil he is close by. However, Virgil, now critically injured, is attacked and killed by a pack of wild dogs.

Keith is revealed to be watching nearby, waiting with the excavation equipment. As he moves in to extract the gold, Keith is shot in the chest with an arrow.

Cast

Production

In November 2020 it was announced that Zac Efron had signed on to the film, to be directed by Anthony Hayes, who would also play one of the major roles. The screenplay was co-written by Hayes and Polly Smyth, while the film was produced by Hayes along with John Schwartz and Michael Schwarz.[ citation needed ] It was later announced that Susie Porter had joined the cast, with the film set to play on Stan in Australia as a Stan Original with Stan backing the film, after Madman Entertainment had theatrically distributed it in Australia. [3] [4] Altitude Film Entertainment were responsible for international sales. [5]

Principal photography began in November 2020 in outback South Australia, in the Flinders Ranges and the town of Leigh Creek. [6] The film includes a desert sandstorm scene, for which fans and sand were transported to the desert location. However a real sandstorm began in the region and the actors agreed to shoot in it instead. Efron broke a bone in his hand halfway through the shoot, but concealed it from the crew to avoid stalling production. [7]

Release

In June 2021, Screen Media Films acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film in a bidding war. [8] In June 2021, Altitude Films announced it had sold the film to all but two territories around the world. [9] It was internationally released on 13 January 2022, [1] [2] before making its debut on streaming service Stan on 26 January 2022. [10] On 11 March 2022 it had a limited theatrical release [11] and was released on VOD. [1]

Reception

Box office

Gold grossed $100,197 in the United States and Canada, [2] and a worldwide total of $229,689. [1] In Australia, the film grossed $2,741 from ten theatres in its opening weekend. [12]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 65% of 51 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.The website's consensus reads: "Zac Efron makes Gold worth watching, even if the film as a whole struggles to match its leading man's committed central performance." [11] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [13] A 3 out of 5 star review in The Guardian praised the cinematography and Efron's performance, but found the plot sparse. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. Thomas Howell</span> American actor (born 1966)

Christopher Thomas Howell is an American actor. He has starred in the films Soul Man, The Hitcher, Grandview U.S.A., Red Dawn, Secret Admirer and The Outsiders. He has also appeared in Gettysburg and Gods and Generals as Thomas Chamberlain, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Amazing Spider-Man, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susie Porter</span> Australian actress

Susie Porter is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She made her debut in the 1996 film Idiot Box, before rising to prominence in films including Paradise Road (1997), Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), Two Hands (1999), Better Than Sex (2000), The Monkey's Mask (2000), Mullet (2001), Teesh and Trude (2002), and The Caterpillar Wish (2006). Porter is also highly recognised for her roles in television series, most notably, as Patricia Wright in East West 101, Eve Pritchard in East of Everything, as Kay Parker in Sisters of War, and as Marie Winter in the prison drama, Wentworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Stan</span> Romanian and American actor (born 1982)

Sebastian Stan is a Romanian–American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and most recently starring in the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).

<i>17 Again</i> (film) 2009 American film by Burr Steers

17 Again is a 2009 American teen fantasy comedy film directed by Burr Steers. The film follows a 37-year-old man named Mike who becomes his 17-year-old self after a chance accident. The film also stars Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Melora Hardin and Sterling Knight in supporting roles. The film was released in the United States on April 17, 2009. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $139 million.

<i>Firestarter</i> (1984 film) 1984 film by Mark L. Lester

Firestarter is a 1984 American science fiction horror-thriller film based on Stephen King's 1980 novel of the same name. The plot concerns a girl who develops pyrokinesis and the secret government agency known as The Shop which seeks to control her. The film was directed by Mark L. Lester, and stars David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen and George C. Scott. Firestarter was shot in and around Wilmington, Chimney Rock, and Lake Lure, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zac Efron</span> American actor (born 1987)

Zachary David Alexander Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical trilogy (2006–2008). During this time, he also starred in the musical film Hairspray (2007) and the comedy film 17 Again (2009). Efron subsequently rose to mainstream prominence with starring roles in the films New Year's Eve (2011), The Lucky One (2012), The Paperboy (2012), Neighbors (2014), Dirty Grandpa (2016), Baywatch (2017), and The Greatest Showman (2017). He played Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019). In 2021, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for the Netflix web documentary series Down to Earth with Zac Efron (2020–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Kendrick</span> American actress (born 1985)

Anna Cooke Kendrick is an American actress. Her first starring role was in the 1998 Broadway musical High Society, for which she earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She made her film debut in the musical comedy Camp (2003) and had a supporting role in The Twilight Saga (2008–2011). She achieved wider recognition for the comedy-drama film Up in the Air (2009), which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and for her starring role in the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Franco</span> American actor

David John Franco is an American actor and filmmaker. He began his career with small roles in films such as Superbad (2007) and Charlie St. Cloud (2010). Following a starring role in the ninth season of the comedy series Scrubs, Franco had his film breakthrough as a supporting role in the buddy comedy film 21 Jump Street (2012).

Anthony Hayes is an Australian actor, best known for his roles in War Machine, The Light Between Oceans, The Slap, Look Both Ways, The Boys, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Animal Kingdom and soap opera Paradise Beach.

<i>The Lucky One</i> (film) 2012 American film

The Lucky One is a 2012 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Hicks and released in April 2012. It is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 2008 novel of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halston Sage</span> American actress (born 1993)

Halston Sage is an American actress. She is known for her television roles, such as Grace on the Nickelodeon series How to Rock (2012), Amber on the NBC series Crisis (2014), Alara Kitan on the Fox series The Orville (2017–2019), and Ainsley Whitly on the Fox television series Prodigal Son (2019–2021). Sage has also appeared in films, playing Lacey in Paper Towns and Kendall in Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, both from 2015, and Lindsay in the 2017 film Before I Fall.

<i>Baywatch</i> (film) 2017 film by Seth Gordon

Baywatch is a 2017 American action comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, with a screenplay by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, from a story by Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, and Robert Ben Garant. It is based on the television series created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann. The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. The story follows lifeguard Mitch Buchannon and his team who must take down a drug lord in an effort to save their beach.

<i>Collide</i> (2016 film) Action thriller film

Collide is a 2016 action thriller film directed by Eran Creevy, who also co-wrote it with F. Scott Frazier. The film stars Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Marwan Kenzari, Ben Kingsley, and Anthony Hopkins. The plot follows two young Americans living in Germany who must complete a drug theft from a crime boss in order to pay for a medical operation.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo is an Australian actress. She made her debut portraying the character of Snow Vase in Netflix's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. In 2019, she portrayed the character of Helena in Netflix's The Society. In 2022, she portrayed the character of Heather in Netflix's Day Shift. In 2023, she portrayed the Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren in the Disney+ series Ahsoka.

<i>Cargo</i> (2017 film) 2017 Australian film

Cargo is a 2017 Australian post-apocalyptic horror drama film directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke with a screenplay by Ramke based on their 2013 short film of the same name. The film stars Martin Freeman, Simone Landers, Anthony Hayes, David Gulpilil, Susie Porter, and Caren Pistorius. It follows a couple and their baby travelling in remote Australia amid a deadly disease outbreak. It premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival on 6 October 2017 and was released in cinemas in Australia on 17 May 2018, worldwide except for Australia on 18 May 2018 by Netflix and on Netflix in Australia on 16 November 2018.

<i>Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile</i> 2019 film by Joe Berlinger

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a 2019 American biographical true crime drama film about the life of serial killer Ted Bundy. Directed by Joe Berlinger with a screenplay from Michael Werwie, the film is based on Bundy's former girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall's memoir, The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. The film stars Zac Efron as Bundy, Lily Collins as Kendall, Kaya Scodelario as Bundy's wife Carole Ann Boone, and John Malkovich as Edward Cowart, the presiding judge at Bundy's trial. The title of the film is a reference to Cowart's remarks on Bundy's murders while sentencing him to death.

<i>Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon</i> 2022 film by Ana Lily Amirpour

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon is a 2021 American fantasy thriller film written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. It stars Kate Hudson, Jun Jong-seo, Ed Skrein, Evan Whitten, and Craig Robinson.

<i>Firestarter</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Keith Thomas

Firestarter is a 2022 American science fiction horror film directed by Keith Thomas, from a screenplay by Scott Teems, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, and a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, Michael Greyeyes, and Gloria Reuben. It is produced by Jason Blum and Akiva Goldsman under their Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Pictures banners, respectively, alongside BoulderLight Pictures and Night Platform.

<i>Barbarian</i> (2022 film) Film by Zach Cregger

Barbarian is a 2022 American horror thriller film written and directed by Zach Cregger in his solo screen writing and directorial debut. It is produced by Arnon Milchan, Roy Lee, Raphael Margules, and J.D. Lifshitz. The film stars Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long. The plot sees a woman find out that the rental home she reserved has been accidentally double-booked by a man, not knowing of a dark secret within the dwelling.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gold (2022) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Gold". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  3. ↑ Ritman, Alex (5 November 2020). "Zac Efron to Star in Australian Survival Thriller 'Gold'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Anthony Hayes strikes Gold with Zac Efron and Susie Porter". Cinema Australia. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "Gold (2022) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia . Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  6. ↑ Dalton, Ben (7 December 2020). "First look: Zac Efron in Australian survival thriller 'Gold' (exclusive)". Screen International . Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  7. ↑ Mathieson, Craig (24 January 2022). "Sandstorms, a broken bone: The extreme lengths Zac Efron went to for new film". The Age . Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  8. ↑ Lang, Brent (7 June 2021). "Zac Efron Survival Thriller 'Gold' Sells to Screen Media (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Rosser, Michael (10 June 2021). "Zac Efron survival thriller 'Gold' lands key Europe, Asia deals". Screen Daily .
  10. ↑ Perry, Kevin (25 January 2022). "New original film Gold starring Zac Efron premieres today on Stan". tvblackbox.com.au. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Gold". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media.
  12. ↑ "Australian 2022 Weekend 2". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "Gold". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  14. ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (13 January 2022). "Gold review – Zac Efron fries in a tough and tense outback thriller". The Guardian .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.