Watch Gold For Free

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I was very surprised when I saw this film. After all, by the time they made "Gold", South Africa was already being roundly condemned by many nations for its apartheid policies. In fact, soon film projects in the country would be a thing of the past and the fact that American and British actors appeared in the film and that much of it was filmed in South Africa surprised me. Perheps, however, they studio chose such a project because it really made the mine operators look like scum...and thereby was a criticism, indirectly, of apartheid.The bosses at a gold mine in South Africa have a reprehensible scheme. They know that an underground lake is very close to one of their mines. And, if they accidentally drill too close, it will flood the mine and kill a lot of workers. BUT, it will also make the price of gold shoot to the moon...making them even richer! The problem is that the General Manager of the mine is killed in a mining accident and they trust that the new GM, Rod Slater (Roger Moore) will play along with their scheme. As for Slater, what he seems mostly interested in during most of the film is stupping the boss' wife (Susannah York).To me, a major defect in the picture is spending so much time on the affair. First, it really didn't make a lot of sense. Second, it really had little to do with the plot. Third, it just seemed like a lot of padding. And, fourth, you really don't care about these two...other than, perhaps, seeing it as a chance for Slater to do to his boss' wife what the boss plans on doing to everyone else!Overall, a rather pedestrian handling of material that could have been a lot better. Not a bad film...but not a very good one either.By the way, I have been to South Africa twice--spending about a month there. One thing I loved about the country were the lovely accents...none of which I heard during the course of "Gold"!

In between "Live and Let Die" and "The Man with the Golden Gun" - one of my personal favorite James Bond flicks – Roger Moore took a little side trip to Johannesburg in South Africa, in order to star in this routine but nevertheless entertaining action/adventure movie. Rod Slater (Moore) is appointed as the General Manager of the prominent Sonderditch goldmine, but in fact the mine's owner and a couple of rich stakeholders in London have different plans with it. They intend to flood the mine and thus boost up the gold prices worldwide, so that they can profit more from prior investments. If their devious plans, loyally but unknowingly executed by Slater and his teams, succeed in time before Christmas, it will be the biggest mining catastrophe in African history. The basic storyline is quite thin and simplistic, so indeed the vast majority of the film exists of unnecessary padding footage, mainly focusing on the romance between James Bond and the bored wife of the corrupt mine owner. With a running time of two hours, "Gold" is definitely a bit overlong and we certainly didn't need so much "falling-in-love" collages with sappy musical guidance! The first fifteen and last twenty minutes are very exciting and tense, because these are the only times "Gold" actually looks like a disaster film. There are terrific performances from veteran actors Ray Milland (as the elderly and stubborn mining patriarch) and John Gielgud (as the brains behind the flooding conspiracy).

Technically, "Gold" is rather uneven at best. There are quite a number of underground scenes that are simply too dark. Another problem is scenes that go on far too long drag on the film. The whirlwind romance between Roger Moore and Susannah York takes up too much time and could have been tactfully trimmed, thus tightening the overlong run time of 120 minutes. On the plus side, is an interesting plot to flood a South African gold mine, which would cut world production by 30%, and drive up the price of gold. Moore's heroic attempt to save the flooding mine and save 1000 trapped men provides plenty of excitement. .................. - MERK

Wilbur Smith's bestselling novels haven't been viewed by film-maker's as a good source of screen material. In spite of the fact that Smith has spent forty years writing one acclaimed novel after another, only a handful of his books have been adapted for the big screen – and of those films, none have been hugely successful. Gold is based on one of the author's shortest novels, originally entitled Gold Mine, and features a very attractive cast including the then-Bond Roger Moore, the luscious Susannah York, archetypal villainous actors Bradford Dillman and Tony Beckley, and old stalwarts Ray Milland and John Gielgud. Much of the film was shot in South Africa, amidst a volatile environment of political controversy, while the more dangerous-looking underground action sequences were done on an impressive studio stage back in the UK. On the whole the film is highly watchable and polished, though it is never quite as absorbing or exciting as it was obviously meant to be.An accident at a South African gold mine results in the mine's general manager being trapped and crippled. The underground manager Rod Slater (Roger Moore) tries his best to save his superior, but his efforts fail and the general manager dies. Later, it transpires that the managing director of the mine, Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman), is actually a member of a secret syndicate that is deliberately trying to destroy the mine in order to increase the value of their own gold stocks. Steyner has had his workers drilling in a highly dangerous area close to a water dyke, insisting that they are close to a precious gold strike when in reality they are metres away from flooding and destroying their own mine. Steyner is the grandson-in-law of the mega-rich gold entrepreneur Hurry Hirschfield, and is married to Hurry's grand-daughter Terry (Susannah York). However, Terry is having an affair with Slater, so Steyner's plan is to fulfil his act of sabotage for his syndicate whilst simultaneously exacting revenge on his cheating wife by ruining her family business. Eventually the dyke is breached and the mine is on the verge of catastrophic flooding, with Slater the only man brave (and foolish) enough to go underground and trigger an explosion to seal off the flooded areas before it is too late.Gold begins and ends with two very powerful and convincing underground sequences that are extremely well put together. In between, the plot unfolds rather slowly and laboriously, seeming to take a long time to reach its conclusion, though certain scenes along the way are quite well handled. Moore plays the hero fairly well, even though it is a much grittier role than his Bond persona. York is even better as the deceitful wife, while Dillman and Beckley provide thoroughly ugly baddies. Elmer Bernstein's very-70s music score adds a sense of drama to the proceedings, in spite of its dated sound. Peter Hunt (formerly a Bond editor and director) directs the film competently without doing anything out of the ordinary with his material. At 124 minutes, Gold is a pretty exhausting movie – certainly worth one, maybe even two, viewings but beyond that it doesn't particularly endear itself to repeat screenings. Still, if you like big, old-fashioned adventure flicks or are a fan of the stars, this movie is worth catching.