Gold Brick (2023) Poster

(I) (2023)

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6/10
It's worth watching?
gabrielleite-640336 July 2023
"Gold Brick" is the newest French film on Netflix, which tells the story of Daniel. He reluctantly joins a company he dislikes out of sheer necessity and comes up with the idea of trafficking the perfumes within that company.

"Gold Brick" is an unpredictable story that unfolds throughout the film. The performances are satisfactory, without any moments that will leave the viewer dissatisfied. Returning to the story, it is simple yet manages to pique your interest and keep you engaged in the film. There are intriguing plot twists that can surprise the audience, and even non-action scenes will leave you electrified.

The film does have its flaws, like any other, and unfortunately, these flaws are somewhat significant. One of them is the limited screen time given to extremely important characters. This greatly affects the film, and you may even find yourself confused when encountering a character because you might not even remember their face. This also has a broader impact on the overall film since insufficient development of crucial characters leaves the audience confused and potentially lost in the story. Another flaw that may not bother some viewers but bothers me personally is the lack of a distinct visual identity. It falls into what I call the "Netflix Standard," with similar settings, costumes, filming techniques, and other aspects seen in a large portion of films on the platform. Unfortunately, this repetition is also present here. It's worth noting that the film is also quite convenient, with improbable events occurring for the sake of the plot's convenience.

In summary, "Gold Brick" is a good film that is worth your time, especially if you want to explore a bit more of French cinema. However, when watching it, you'll need to overlook the conveniences presented.
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5/10
It's not another american heist movie... it's french
eddmurua23 July 2023
We have a "Heist" movie with all the tropes that american movies made popular and well... tropes. So... it gives us something new... coming from Europe/France? Not really. The script is good. Good enough twists (I guess some would acuse them of obvious?) and everything coming from the characters works. I was entertained.

But the movie lacks... something. If it wanted to be comedic... just wasn't funny enough. If it wanted to be "light hearted heist movie", it had too much negativity motivating the characters and a bit too much malice coming from them for that.

And if it wanted to be a french "Ocean's Eleven"... just no. It didn't have the style/glamour, which is understandable of course. So, in the end, it was fine. It wasn't bad. But it's just not memorable at all and only recommendable for fans of the sub-genre.
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7/10
When exploited workers build their capitalism
Superb casting for a film in which warehouse employees embezzle part of the production for their own benefit. The gang is led by Raphael Quenard. They start small, then the team grows. All against a backdrop where the factory is about to be sold. This allows the film to address factory life and organization, between the boss, the human resources manager and the team leader.

The film's first quality is that, although we can more or less guess what's going to happen, the progression is simple and regular, maintaining the viewer's interest, containing just the right amount of ellipsis to produce just the right amount of well-placed surprises. The script manages to blend the two dramatic progressions: Raphaël Quenard's team on the one hand, and the boss's intrigue on the other, both of which are bound to come together.

The voice-over of Raphaël Quenard's character works perfectly well and doesn't detract from the narrative.

Another quality is the superb cast, led by Raphaël Quenard, but also including Agathe Rousselle, Brunot Lochet and Stephan Wojtowicz, for example. All perfect.
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3/10
A Cynical View of Commerce in Chartres
lavatch14 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Chartres is one of the great cultural landmarks of France. It was depressing to see such a negative portrait of commerce in this iconic town.

There was not a single sympathetic character in this film. Everyone was eager to participate in a scam.

The young Monsieur Sauveur was especially repellent. Even when he was fortunate enough to begin a romantic liaison with the perfume company's executive Virginie, he treated her quite shabbily.

There was some creativity on the part of filmmakers in developing an elaborate "heist" scenario. But the action became far too complicated to the point of absurdity.

There was an occasional glimpse of the great Chartres cathedral. M. Sauveur's mother evidently enjoyed seeing it in the distance from her home. But the great monument held no significance for the other characters. Sad.
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8/10
from france. a fun heist film.
ksf-214 July 2023
In netflix, it's "gold brick". In other countries, it's "cash". Daniel works at a perfume factory, and has come up with a plan to make some big bucks fast. He snitches perfume samples from work and sells them online. Each time he gets caught, he has always managed to solve the problem, and get it swept under the rug. But when he gets promoted, now it's harder to smuggle out product. So he needs to bring on more people. Which works for a while. When things are good, daniel's love life goes well, but when things go south... his love life also goes bad. But when they sell the company, an inventory will be taken. And it comes up short. Now it's all hitting the fan. Can daniel find a solution that will please everyone? It's very well done! A fun, slow, heist, from netflix. Written and directed by jérémie rozan. It's fun. It's french.
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