When I saw this film was 2 hours long, I thought "well, obviously going to be plodding and in need of edits".An action film about a mine disaster due to corporate greed? No way you can make two hours of excitement out of that, without weighing down the story with too much political gibberish that no one understands.However, this film flowed very well, and I'm attention deficit, so that is quite amazing.There's a lot to this film. Mostly, it is cleverly directed. Even when there is no action, we get a sense of animation, or of wit, or suspense.Each actor probably thought it was "his" film. You could tell that most of them had a blast, especially the bad guys.Beckley had to believe it was his film. The bad guys are all deliciously evil, and Beckley gets to play the most deliciously evil of them. We know what he's going to be like, and he gives a great show.In that, the bad guys aren't what you would call the multi-dimensional types, but more the "James Bond" types, played to the hilt.Which brings up the next matter. Is Moore playing James Bond here? There are obvious similarities, the womanizing, the wit, the independence, the charisma, the good heart under a tough skin.But there are also differences. As "Slater", Moore isn't a Superman like Bond. He doesn't kill people. He only beats one guy up, not the usual three at a time that Bond would.There's a more realistic human in "Slater", not that Bond is unreal in character, but he is in his godlike abilities. Slater has the multiple dimensions of Bond, but also is more like a regular guy, although he is as wealthy as James Bond, with thousands of dollars meaning nothing to him.Then there's the girl. Susanah York is cleverly done. Either by acting talent or by make up, she achieves the "change" described in her character. When we first see her, she is plain and insignificant. However, as her father, played by Ray Milland, notices, she becomes a newer, prettier creature after meeting "Slater".That's important to the story. We now believe the whirlwind romance, as she has been married to a cold calculating Bradford Dillman, usually an "Everyman", and here his "Everyman" look is geared towards a sinister side.There is great drama, great theatrics, and great scenery to help us along the way. This is one of the quickest two hours you will ever see. Bravo.

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

Absolutely brilliant thriller, highlighted by the great performance of the man himself, Garth Tuckett. A gripping tale that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time until the ultimate climax when garth uttered the words "Go and see Mr Eade". The performance brought me to tears and I left the cinema crying like a little girl. I wonder why an actor the likes of garth tuckett never went on to greater things. I would like to see Garth make his long awaited comeback to the silver screen in the near future. I've heard a rumour that an independent movie called "Read pages one to fifty" is coming out early next year, so ill keep a keen eye out for that one. I rate this movie a ten out of ten. Garth Tuckett, Have my children.

I saw this film while living in Geneva Switzerland in 1981, courtesy of a borrowed video cassette copy. I was a lot younger then, thirty, and less discerning, but I was utterly enchanted by actress Susannah York, and have been ever since. It had the feel of a good James Bond adventure and I thought that actor Roger Moore was at his best, and in fact was better in this film then in any of his James Bond movies. I've never visited South Africa, but had studied the history of the country, and I enjoyed viewing the on-location scenes of the country. There are great scenes workers in the mines, as well as Zulu warriors in their regalia.