Heavy smoker and prospector Kenny Wells teams up with Mike Acosta and when they find gold, Kenny runs the risk of being outsmarted by big business.
Inspired by a true story (it says here), Matthew McConaughey undergoes a physical transformation every bit as comprehensive as the one in his Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club performance. I don't think he will be getting an Oscar for this one, though - it is seriously hammy. McConaughey can do subtle, but does not do so here. He appears to be having fun, but in the same way someone playing the villain in panto has fun.
The story is quite a good one - the search for gold, the things in Kenny's make-up which drive him, the scheming and plotting and serial outwitting which goes on once the find is established, and the twisty resolutions to the tale - but the telling of it is dragged out a little too long. It's a bit of a puzzle, because there are some extremely good directorial touches, but something in the telling is distinctly off. The film should have been much better than it is.
The best thing in it, in my view, is Bryce Dallas Howard as Kenny's wife, who doesn't actually want the things which drive Kenny. Hers is a performance of touching and understated emotion, and a likeable character in the middle of a cast of characters who are largely fairly repellent.
There are some good things in this movie, but I can't honestly recommend it.
Inspired by a true story (it says here), Matthew McConaughey undergoes a physical transformation every bit as comprehensive as the one in his Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club performance. I don't think he will be getting an Oscar for this one, though - it is seriously hammy. McConaughey can do subtle, but does not do so here. He appears to be having fun, but in the same way someone playing the villain in panto has fun.
The story is quite a good one - the search for gold, the things in Kenny's make-up which drive him, the scheming and plotting and serial outwitting which goes on once the find is established, and the twisty resolutions to the tale - but the telling of it is dragged out a little too long. It's a bit of a puzzle, because there are some extremely good directorial touches, but something in the telling is distinctly off. The film should have been much better than it is.
The best thing in it, in my view, is Bryce Dallas Howard as Kenny's wife, who doesn't actually want the things which drive Kenny. Hers is a performance of touching and understated emotion, and a likeable character in the middle of a cast of characters who are largely fairly repellent.
There are some good things in this movie, but I can't honestly recommend it.