Gold (2016)

"Having received – excuse the pun – a bit of a panning elsewhere, Stephen Gaghan's lively rise-and-fall drama arrives on these shores as soiled goods."

"For those willing to take the characters at face value, it's a deliriously entertaining ride, as a man with a dream drops his last quarter in the slot machine and goes home with the entire casino."

""Gold" could have been a biting satire of greed and folly, a neo-Conradian tale of Western misadventure in Asia, a rousing fable of underdog triumph or a caper comedy. It tries, in its frantic, clumsy fashion, to be all of those things ..."

"Sadly and inexplicably it misses the mark in almost every way."

"McConaughey deep dives into his role as a mad-dog prospector like a starving man sitting down to a feast. As a movie, Gold is slim pickings. But McConaughey keeps you riveted."

"The story is great, the presentation dull."

"We've been here many romps before, and one wishes that for once, someone would make a film on this subject without making the obligatory sharp turn into folksy, facile populism that Gold and its ilk inevitably do."

"Like the quintessential experience most treasure seekers have with a pan full of promising gravel: a lot of hopeful swirl, with little meaningful result."

"[McConaughey's] intensity never flags. What's missing from this story of struggle and glory and the need to believe is a fever to match his."

"Gold highlights the importance of character and story, and the simple fact that if you care enough about the character and are engaged in his or her journey, the movie can still work despite other problems."