| Gold Brick is a French heist comedy, a tale of capitalism turning into greed. Set in a blue-collar town, Daniel (Raphaël Quenard) has had his share of wealthy families running unscrupulous companies stealing job opportunities from those who just want to work. So Daniel fights back, gets a job with the evil Breuil perfume company, and steals from within | | 2023
Directed by: Jérémie Rozan
Screenplay by: Jérémie Rozan
Starring: Raphaël Quenard, Antoine Gouy
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Book-ended with an upbeat reggae tune, the film has a very lively and humorous tone. It’s fast and funny and an enjoyable watch. Turns happen faster than expected, but for every door that closes in Daniel’s plan, a new window opens, and we’re well past plan a or b, and onto plan f or g by the end of the movie. While the plot does take quite a few turns as Daniel is forced to make changes, there are no twists; everything is spelled out to the audience. That does make the film feel stale at times, but the ending is a very satisfying update on the steal from the rich theme.
The beginning is very engaging as the turns in the story happen quickly and the fast-moving heist storyline is easy to get wrapped up in. It slows down considerably in the middle as Daniel’s new plans get more convoluted and start incorporating a lot more people; people who become more significant characters than they should. They also had a montage right in the middle of the movie where we watch all of the random characters party with their new-found riches for five minutes. A filler scene in the middle of an otherwise short and fast-moving movie is a curious addition, and does not help for those feeling like too much is being spoon-fed.
The main characters - including the impetuous Daniel, his best friend and the slightly more cautious Scania (Igor Gotesman), the new rich boss (and son of the old rich boss) Patrick (Antoine Gouy), the new rich boss’s new hire Virginie (Agathe Rouselle), and last but not least the surprisingly important new rich boss’s wife Beatrice (Nina Meurisse) – are all excellent. Each of these characters evolve or show a new facet of who they are with each turn in the story.
Gold Brick is an entertaining movie with engaging characters. It drags a lot in the middle and assumes the audience isn’t smarter than the often dumb criminals, but it’s still a fun and enjoyable movie.
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