About 35 min in they kill a horse, I kind of saw it coming. Also up to that point all they do is ride horses and lead pack horses, talk about filler.I would not have minded the tediousness if they had at least done some actual western stuff, but it is clear the people who made this movie did not know much about how things were actually done in western times/how people coped on long riding trips, so they had the actors ride horses and lead pack horses.I actually would have finished the movie if it were not for the horse they killed. Its pretty obvious that this is one of those movies that had 'ballot stuffers' and some phony reviews.

Italian cowboy movies are called spaghetti westerns, so maybe this German one should be called a schnitzel western, or a sauerbraten western, or some such thing, but it's definitely not a "western" western. This German-made film about a group of Germans traveling from the US through Canada to get to the Dawson gold-mining area in the late 1800s has some beautiful Canadian scenery, and a realistic look to it, but overall it's just too slow-moving and, frankly, depressing to qualify as a "western".It has the cold, gritty look of Clint Eastwood's "Pale Rider" and Kevin Costner's "Open Range"--not necessarily a bad thing--but I think it's too relentlessly downbeat and, to be honest, depressing for most viewers' tastes. The film is totally and completely humorless--I know the West of the time was not exactly a laugh riot, but so many bad things happen to so many people so often that you actually start getting depressed watching this. Just about the only "light-hearted" moment is when one of the group stops in a saloon while traveling through a town and asks the bartender for three bottles of whiskey and one glass, while the other customers just stare at him. That's pretty much it.The box cover says the film is 101 minutes long, but believe me--it seems a LOT longer than that. Unless you like dark, moody, somewhat self- indulgent westerns that move like molasses, I'd say skip this.

Gold is a beautiful, intricate, sound movie. A movie that just depicts us humans, in our epic quest, without any concessions. Driven by some ungraspable idea, we need groups, leadership, moral standards, intimacy and love. Not all of us will stay, at least, not to the end of the movie, but though, the movie will go on somewhere else. A great canvas of WE as WE ARE. And then still willing to strive and look forward, still in the need to move ahead. Thus the depiction is better than the feeling you will get at the end of the movie.This might be because, we, as a species, are made to believe and hope.8/10

This movie (which I saw during the 2013 film-festival in Copenhagen), is a very atypical western, not only because of the (mostly) German-speaking cast, but also because of it's dark moods, and almost complete lack of conventional "western"-themes, which makes it more appealing to people that are normally not too keen on westerns, but still has enough western-elements in it to not disappoint genre-fans either.The beautiful Nina Hoss - known for her portrayal of "Barbara" (in the 2012 movie of the same name), as well as the vampire-movie "We Are the Night" - here plays Emily Meyer, a single woman who is determined to travel alone to Klondyke in the late 1890s, along with a motley crew of settlers and gold-diggers, who all have their own reasons for making the long and dangerous journey.However, they do not know what will await them during the trip, as both the harsh nature of the land comes as a surprise to them, as well as a couple of ruthless killers are on their trail, which takes its toll on the travelers.It is a slow-moving, but very gripping and dark tale about (among other things) trying to conquer both new territory, but also about finding yourself (and others), when placed in a bad situation. It also has quite a lot of stunning cinematography, which really captures the landscapes beautifully, and places the audience in the right mood.The director, Thomas Arslan, is still relatively unknown, although I have seen two of his films now (this one and "Dealer", which was also quite good), and he should definitely be a name to look for in the near future."Gold" does have a lot of similarities to Kelly Reichardt's western-drama, "Meek's Cutoff", but with somewhat more action and excitement, all things considered. So even though both films are very similar, I have a huge preference to this movie, as the characters are also much more likable and well-developed.So go see this film, if you want a realistic story about people trying to make their way through rough territory, both physically and mentally. See it if you love westerns, and/or if you just like good movies, that might leave a lasting impact on you forever.