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Gold (2022 Australian film)

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Gold
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAnthony Hayes
Written by
  • Anthony Hayes
  • Polly Smyth
Produced by
  • Anthony Hayes
  • John Schwarz
  • Michael Schwarz
Starring
CinematographyRoss Giardina
Edited bySean Lahiff
Music byAntony Partos
Production
companies
Distributed byMadman Entertainment
Release date
  • 13 January 2022 (2022-01-13)
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$145,218[1]

Gold is a 2022 Australian survival thriller film directed by Anthony Hayes. It stars Zac Efron, Susie Porter, and Anthony Hayes. The film received a limited theatrical on 13 January 2022, before making its debut on streaming service Stan on 26 January 2022.[2] It received positive reviews from critics.

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 failing to extract it with their basic tools and truck, Virgil agrees to stay with the gold whilst Keith leaves to try and find an excavator. Left alone in the desert with limited food, water, and radio contact, Virgil begins to deteriorate both physically and mentally as paranoia sets in. He makes himself a shelter from the sun using pieces from a crashed plane.

After several days awaiting Keith's return, Virgil encounters a lone woman scavenging nearby. After the woman becomes suspicious, Virgil kills her and buries her body. A day later, a sandstorm leaves Virgil wounded. He encounters another female scavenger who claims to be the earlier woman's sister. Virgil makes contact with Keith via radio, who informs Virgil he is close by. Critically injured, Virgil 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

  • Zac Efron as Virgil (credited as "man one")
  • Anthony Hayes as Keith (credited as "man two")
  • Susie Porter as the Stranger and the Stranger's sister
  • Andreas Sobik as an outpost attendant
  • Hayden Fein as man three

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]

Reception

In Australia, the film grossed $2,741 from ten theatres in its opening weekend.[10] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 51 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10.[11] A 3/5 star review in The Guardian praised the cinematography and Efron's performance, but found the plot sparse.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Gold". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  2. ^ "New original film Gold starring Zac Efron premieres today on Stan". TV Blackbox. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 13 February 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. ^ "Sandstorms, a broken bone: The extreme lengths Zac Efron went to for new film". 24 January 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. ^ "Australian 2022 Weekend 2". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Gold". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  12. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (13 January 2022). "Gold review – Zac Efron fries in a tough and tense outback thriller". The Guardian.
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