Gold

Synopsis: With the sudden death of his father, fourth-generation prospector Kenny Wells sees the family business, Washoe Mining, rapidly decline and him out of business. But ambitious Kenny has a dream, a vivid vision that promises mountains of brilliant and pure gold in the lush jungles of remote Indonesia; an aspiration which the well-known, yet still unlucky geologist Michael Acosta shares. Before long, down-on-his-luck Kenny will convince the eager geologist to become his partner and set off on an adventure deep into uncharted territory, while in the meantime, he would hunt for investors. Unfortunately though, as the risky expedition begins without a single speck of gold or the promise of it on the horizon, disease and failure will begin to threaten the short-lived dream. However, is it indeed an intriguingly bold and reckless fantasy?
Director(s): Stephen Gaghan
Production: TWC-Dimension
  Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.7
Metacritic:
49
Rotten Tomatoes:
42%
R
Year:
2016
120 min
$7,222,964
Website
2,545 Views


EXT. THE JUNGLES OF INDONESIA - DAY

A NATIVE slashes through thick foliage, leading a patrol of

INDONESIAN MILITARY -- shouted commands and radio chatter.

The tribesmen hack through the perimeter of the brush and the

party emerges onto the wide silt bank of a muddy river.

Suddenly WILD BOAR let out a chorus of squeals and scatter

into the brush, and there, splayed on the river bank, we find-

A BODY.

One of the soldiers approaches -- the stench is palpable --

the body already decomposing.

The soldier finds a wallet, checks the ID -- we don’t see the

identity. The Soldier speaks into his radio.

SOLDIER:

(Indonesian)

We have the body...

While from the jungle the eyes of a wild pig can be seen

peering out, waiting to resume its meal.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. DIMLY LIT ROOM - DAY

A hand tosses ice into a low ball. Realizes there’s no booze.

Into the cabinet, finds a stashed bottle. The MAN pours a

healthy measure of whiskey. KENNY WELLS (40’s), unshaven,

takes a long drink, masking his nerves. He is a about an inch

from total collapse.

WELLS:

Sure I can’t pour you one?

VOICE (O.S.)

No, thanks. I’m working.

The VOICE is calm, in control, authoritarian.

WELLS:

All the more reason.

2.

VOICE (O.S.)

Wells, sit. We’ve got a lot to cover.

WELLS:

Here I am. Fire away.

Wells raises his glass in a mock toast. He will not be rushed.

He’s got an easy smile and sparkling eyes -- but his face

tells the story of a man acquainted with his whiskey.

VOICE (O.S.)

How did you meet Michael Acosta?

WELLS:

The first time or the second time?

VOICE (O.S.)

How did you meet him, Wells?

WELLS:

You sure you don’t want a drink?

You’re making me nervous.

Wells sits and faces us. Off the silence --

WELLS (CONT’D)

April of ‘88 -- I had three properties

crap out on me in six week period.

SIERRA NEVADA RANGE... TILT DOWN to find Reno against it...

EXT. RENO, NEVADA - DAY

SUPER:
Reno, Nevada... April, 1988

-- ROULETTE WHEEL SPINNING, reveal it’s in a grocery store.

-- COWS GRAZING scrubland on the edge of town.

-- OLD CASINOS. Dusty ranches. Tourists. Migrant workers.

-- A ONE-ARMED BANDIT, with a gun “arm,” pays out nickels.

...SLOWLY TIGHTENING as if a dry wind carries us to...

EXT. THE THREE GREENHORNS BAR - MORNING

A faded watering hole from the boomtown days.

WELLS (V.O)

I was on the balls of my ass,

scrambling. Not exactly uncharted

waters, but I was in pretty deep...

A beat up ‘79 Caddy Eldorado, covered in a layer of road

grime, it’s bumper held on with wire, pulls into a spot and

dies. For this hour there are already many cars in the lot.

3.

Through a smoky haze, Wells stares out, eyes like a Bukowski

poem. He’s got one lit cigarette as he lights another. Flicks

ashes at the ashtray, misses -- a constellation of burn marks.

WELLS (V.O.)

Ten AM. And I knew the board of

directors had already convened.

INT. THE THREE GREENHORNS BAR - CONTINUOUS

Wells enters like the cock of the walk, back slapping and

waving hellos, a well-liked regular. His suit looks like it

might have been slept in... more than once.

Middle-age men in bad suits with bad hair fill the tables,

working phone lines and yellow pads. These are modern-day

“prospectors,” promoting bottom-feeder mining stocks. Pass a

couple regulars -- CONRAD “CONNIE” WRIGHT (40’s) and SCOTTIE

NEVINS (50’s) -- doing more drinking than working.

A BARMAID concentrates on scratching a lotto ticket that looks

like the slots:
Cherry... Cherry... Cherry! The winning

amount:
$5.00 -

Wells approaches one of the traders, clamping down on his

shoulders with both hands, working out the knots. This is

BOBBY BURNS (50’s), balding, pouring a shot into his coffee.

WELLS:

Bobby Burns!

BURNS:

Oh yeah, that’s the stuff...

WELLS:

You boys hear about this cowboy’s

tombstone that won the contest for

Best Tombstone? The 5 Rules To Follow

For A Happy Life...

Smiles from the guys at the surrounding tables. They all lean

in to listen. Wells clearly loves the attention.

WELLS (CONT’D)

One:
it’s important to have a woman

who helps at home, cooks from time to

time, cleans up and has a job. Two:

it’s important to have a woman who can

make you laugh. Three: it’s important

to have a woman you can trust, and

doesn’t lie to you. Four: it’s

important to have a woman who is good

in bed, and likes to be with you.

(MORE)

4.

WELLS (CONT’D)

(beat)

Five:
it’s very important that these

four women do not know each other or

you could end up dead like me.

Everyone laughs. Wells beams, punctuating the punch-line with

a slap on Burns’s back. Burns calls out to the barmaid --

BURNS:

Whaddayou think, Kay?

KAY is short for KAYLENE, an ex-Jr. Miss Reno, and second

runner-up Jr. Miss Nevada. She loves Joe Montana, horses, and

Kenny, though in reverse order. Kay’s jeans are a half-size

too small, not because she’s trying to be sexy but because

she’s happy.

KAY:

I’ll kill him right now.

More laughter. Wells loudest of all.

WELLS:

(to Burns)

So, whatcha working? Anything I should

know about?

BURNS:

Telmerek. Their Aukland stake, the

bank called the note. I picked up a

bunch of the debt, I gotta flip it

before the call.

WELLS:

Any bites?

BURNS:

Nibbles.

WELLS:

Keep throwing that line.

A pat on the arm and he’s off to the bar where his double

Seagrams is already being poured by ROY BAKER (60’s), sweet

face that’s seen some miles -- like a broken down boxer.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

Patrick Massett

Patrick Massett (born March 6, 1962) is an American television actor, writer and producer. He played Duras in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes "Sins of the Father" and "Reunion". He has worked on both the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights and the Syfy series Caprica. He often works with writing partner John Zinman. He has been nominated for four Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards for his work on Friday Night Lights. more…

All Patrick Massett scripts | Patrick Massett Scripts

0 fans

Submitted by acronimous on March 05, 2017

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Gold" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/gold_1054>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Watch the movie trailer

    Gold

    Browse Scripts.com

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.