***SPOILERS*** Tremendous yet almost forgotten action thriller set in the gold mines of South Africa involving a devious plan, by members of the world's gold cartel, to have as many as 1,000 miners killed in order to send the price of the precious medal sky high.
Not realizing that he's being set up to be the stooge to take the fall for the coming mine disaster Sonditch, one of the biggest gold mining company's in the world, general manager Rod Slater, Roger Moore, is put in charge to break through the 80th level at its major gold mine and hit a mother load, some 5 billion dollars worth, of gold. What Slater doesn't know is that there's water not gold on the other side of the 80th that will flood the gold mine and kill everyone working in it! With the big gold profiteers licking their chops in anticipating in buying up all the world's gold stocks at record lows before the Sonditch Mine blows, together with the 1,000 miners working in it, one of them jumps the gun in getting in on the action and ends up paying for it with his life!
Meanwhile Slater is set up by the boss' Hurry Hirschfel, Ray Milland, son-in-law acting Sonditch Mine president as well as clean freak Manfred Steyner, Bradford Dillman, to be out of town when the mine is to be sabotaged by foreman Kowalski, Bernard Horsfall. Kowalski is secretly working with Steyner, without Hurry Hirschfeld's knowledge, to have the Sonditch Mine go under!
Unforgettable action packed heroics by both general manager Slater and gold miner Big King, Simon Sebela, in the depths of the flooded Sounditch Mine will leave you breathless and almost in tears, from emotion not the mine dust, in what men of courage can do when the sh*t hits the fan. With Kowalski cutting the circuit breaker cable to stop the water level in the mine from rising and thus drowning the entire work crew Slater and his good friend Big King willingly risk their lives to reconnect the cable to prevent that from happening. The explosive and heart-dropping final sequence is something that even the biggest action hero's in Hollywood would never attempt even knowing that it's all make believe and they'll live to see another day as well as paycheck.
Roger Moore as general manager Slater is far better in the movie "Gold" then he ever was in any of the James Bonds movies that he stared in. Even without all the life saving gadgets that he had available, to pull him out of harms way, in them. Susannah Yok as big boss Hirschfeld's granddaughter, and Steyner's wife, Terry is far more interesting as a crack a jack pilot then as Slater's lover. Who was unknowing set up by her creepy husband Manfred to get involved with Slater thus having him be as far away from the Sonditch Mine, when it blew up, in order to keep him from being there and saving it.
With out a doubt it was Simon Sabela as Big King who really stole the show with his courage dedication and willingness, without as much as a second thought, to risk his life in order to save others. Despite his supporting role in the film Sabela, as Big King, was who you cared for and remembered most when the film finally ended. Another plus for the movie is its stirring theme song "Gold" sung by Jimmy Helms that will have listening to it even when the movie is over and the final credits are rolling up the screen!
P.S During the filming of "Gold" Roger Moore was kicking his smoking habit and in the few scenes where he was to smoke a cigarette he was always able to find an excuse not to light up!
4 out of 6 found this helpful