Gold Plot Synopsis
Sometime in the near future, Zac Efron’s unnamed character (he is listed as Man One) arrives at a desert outpost to meet a man who is supposed to take him to a place called the Compound for work. As arranged, the man turns up (he is listed as Man Two) and Man One hops into the man’s vehicle to begin the long journey to his eventual destination.
It’s not long before the car gets a puncture so the two men are forced to take a break. Man One gets his first look at the harshness of the desert landscape and watches in surprise as a wild dog injures another animal and eats its meat. The dog is relying on its survival instincts, of course, and Man One has to rely on these himself when the car breaks down a second time and he is left alone in the desert wilderness.
Does he survive his plight? Read on to find out more.
Why does Man One find himself alone?
Man Two manages to fix the puncture but the car breaks down again. As the two men try to find a way to repair the vehicle, they spot something glittering beneath the sand and stone of the desert around them.
As is obvious from the title of the movie, the shiny material they find is a huge chunk of gold. Unfortunately, it’s stuck in the ground and to get it out, the men need to get hold of an excavator. Luckily, Man Two knows just where to find one and after repairing the car, he asks Man One to stay behind to protect the gold from any other human beings.
Is Man One’s life in danger?
Well, the very fact that he is left alone under the sweltering heat is dangerous enough, although he does manage to create himself a shelter. But there are other threats to his life, including a scorpion that pops up out of the ground intermittently, a snake, and the possibility of dehydration and starvation as his food and water supplies start to run out.
Later in the movie, Man One also has to flee from a sandstorm and this threatens to wipe him out. Then there are the wild dogs that patrol the desert looking for food. Man One manages to fend these off with a lit torch but they are constantly on the prowl, waiting for him to collapse under the desert heat.
Does anybody arrive to help Man One?
After struggling alone for a while, a woman turns up on foot to guide Man One to a nearby waterhole. However, Man One is mistrusting of her as he is worried that she might be after his gold. After the two get into a fight, Man One strikes her with a shovel, kills her, and sets fire to her body.. or does he?
It might be that the woman is just an illusion as it is clear that Man One is starting to mentally unravel. When an identical woman turns up later claiming to be the dead woman’s sister, it seems likely that she is an illusion too.
Does Man One make it out of the desert alive?
Man One’s only hope of survival is Man Two but despite his promise that he would return with the excavator, he fails to show up.
Therefore, Man One is left to fend for himself against the harsh desert elements and the dangerous wildlife.
Unfortunately, both his mind and his body weaken and he is left helpless when the wild dogs arrive to have another go at him. This time, they manage to overcome Man One and they hungrily tear flesh from his body.
As can be expected, Man One does not survive this attack, but hey, at least he gave the dogs the opportunity to survive another day.
Does Man Two ever return?
In a last-minute reveal, it would seem that Man Two didn’t travel very far at all. He has been standing on a nearby hillside watching Man One battle the desert alone. Wanting the gold for his own selfish desires, he obviously decided to wait until Man One had perished before claiming the hidden treasure for himself.
After Man One has become dog food, Man Two heads to the gold’s location. But before he can claim his prize, an arrow appears out of nowhere and kills him.
As to who fired the arrow, we never get to find out. Could it be the dead woman’s sister? If she wasn’t an illusion, this could be likely. Or it could simply be another passerby that was lying in wait to get the gold for themselves? In the desert, it’s a dog eat dog world as men (and women) will do anything they need to do to survive and gain victory over another.
Good movie and very much liked the non cliché ending.
Greed is the real killer here.
I think the arrow was sent by the second scavenger woman who looks like the twin sister from the one that died. The trucker guy left him alone to die on purpose. His evil plan from the very beginning. Thumbs up for this australian movie!
The same man had mercy to a dog, took his time waiting for a horrible death of another man. This movie is about someting much worst than greed. The end bothers me because justice fails in real life, so it was unecessary to do it in the movie.
Sindy, I agree. I think they had eyes on the gold before Man 1 & 2 found it. When Woman 1 didn’t come back, Woman 2 went to find her. I believe that’s why Woman 1 was hounding Man 1 and told him he was trying to take something that didn’t belong to him. Once Man 2 showed up with the excavator, Woman 2 shot him with the arrow to kerp him from the gold( possibly even knowing he left Man 1 to die)
I like at see Australian in nature
Why man 1 choose stay at the desert? Man 2 first option was stay. Both men murdered for reasons of greed. Both men deserved to die.
Thanks Carlos.
The ending is actually pretty good. There’s a saying in Spanish that says “you never know who you work for” meaning that sometimes you work hard for certain things and sometimes due to certain circumstances (or occasions) other people end up enjoying the benefits of your hard work.
I was also hoping he would survive but it would’ve been so cliche and predictable. I love the ending as is.
That’s 1 1/2 hours of my life I will never get back. What a stupid movie.
Zack is dead. He did good.
Man 2 was an asshole.
There was enough gold to share with woman 1 and 2.. and anybody elso who could have helped excavate the nugget..
We all know Zach, man 1, did not survive, or should know. He had missing limbs, open chest. I was happy to see man 2 get shot by the arrow. He certainly deserved it, watching man one suffer and be eaten alive, after all the turmoil he went through to hide the gold and stay on site. I was curious as to who shot him, but I was happier that he didn’t survive either. Eat away dogs LOL
Maybe…!
Or were they just licking his wounds to help him heal? Never seen the dogs eating him.
Didn’t the woman one also have some sort of bow? Woman one also have the big knife and man one didn’t keep that either…. 🤷♂️ Not sure I’d watch it again.
I think Sindy got it.
This was a good movie Period.
Interesting. Thanks for your analysis!
Man Two is shot by Woman 2. We know that she is Sister as she claims, because, if you watched the movie, you know that Woman 1 was armed with a knife. When we see Woman 2, she’s holding a crossbow aimed at Man One. Had Woman One possessed a crossbow, Man One would have been able to use it for defense after Woman One was dead, possibly even to kill a dog or two to survive. What was messing with Man One was that the two women looked exactly the same, likely twin sisters.
Obviously not if you’ve seen the movie . Why would you ask if Zac Efron survived after watching dogs eat him alive.