FOOL’S GOLD

US, 2008, 113 minutes, Colour.
Matthew Mc Conaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena, Ewen Bremner, Ray Winstone, Kevin Hart, Malcolm- Jamal Warner.
Directed by Andy Tennant.

The PR says that this is ‘an aquatic adventure’. Well, it is but, while it is one of those entertainments for a rainy afternoon and many audiences will enjoy it for relaxation, it is still not very good.

In the wake of National Treasure hunts, this one is for sunken Spanish treasure in the Caribbean – and to be fair to the film, there is a lot of recapping the story of the fleet and its cargo and what might have and did happen to it to give the proceedings some intellectual and historical credibility.

However…

The makers have decided that a farcical tone best serves the action and performances, which make it all rather silly a lot of the time. Matthew Mc Connaughey spends most of the time shirtless, diving, fighting and playing the fool. An over-solariumed Kate Hudson does her best with the role of the exasperated ex-wife. And then there are the weird accents: Donald Sutherland trying to do a British toff; Ewan Bremner being a Ukrainian; Ray Winstone doing a southern US twang. Then there is Alexis Dziena overdoing an in-your-face bimbo. Plus a number of unpleasant toughs.

Plenty of fine scenery (courtesy of Queensland), action sequences and some broad comedy and that’s about it.

1.A popular action romantic entertainment? The stars? Their popularity?

2.The Caribbean settings? The sea, the beaches, the islands? The boats? The caves? The towns, the clubs and bars? The mansions? The old churches? Authentic feel for a Caribbean adventure? The musical score?

3.The title, the reference to treasure, to the characters and their pursuit of the treasure?

4.The information, 1715, the forty chests of treasure, the hurricane, at the bottom of the sea? The quest? The maps? The interpretation?

5.Finn and his character, separation from Tess? His love for her? The borrowed boat, diving, the sinking of the boat? Finding the plate? The evidence of the treasure?

6.The gangsters, on the islands, the clubs, violence? The owner of the boat, Bigg Bunny?

7.Tess, in court, the divorce hearing, Finn and his hurry, arriving late? Tess’s exasperation? Her getting everything?

8.The treasure, Finn telling Tess? Her interest, but her disbelief in him? On the boat, Nigel Honeycutt and his wealth? Her waitressing, her being a hostess?

9.Finn getting on the boat, his chat with Honeycutt, the explanation of the treasure hunt, Honeycutt and his offering the money? Honeycutt and his relationship with his daughter?

10.Moe Fitch, in the Caribbean, the competition with Finn, the clash between the two, the fight?

11.The underwater sequences? The search for the treasure? The dangers? Both Tess and Finn in the water? The realisation that the search was in the wrong place? The churchyard, the logbook? The information about the blowhole?

12.Bigg, his vengeance, his henchmen? Their taking Tess? Her diving, into the blowhole? The discovery of the treasure?

13.The rescue, Fitch and Honeycutt? The clash with Bunny’s men? The seaplane – and Finn and his clash with the thugs, on board the plane, the clash with the pilot, flying Tess to a safe landing?

14.The celebration, Honeycutt back on the boat, the treasure, and the donating it to the museum? The happy ending for all?

15.The action sequences and the adventure? The contrast with the characterisations, Honeycutt and his wealth, alienated from his daughter, her trying to be sexy? Finn and his Ukrainian friend, Ewen Bremner’s satiric performance as the Ukrainian? Fitch as one of the local heavies – but giving support to Finn and Tess?