Making a heist so unoriginal and uneventful is a feat, and Gold Brick manages to do both without missing a beat. None of the characters are particularly interesting or distinct enough to remember their names. The idea of stealing from a big corporation (usually a solid setup) has no bite because the motivations feel hollow and unrealized. Most of the "ingenious" slight of hands and master plans don't impress or stick, and later plot points' payoffs stay as lackluster as their setups. Crisp, saturated cinematography is pleasant on the eyes but not enough to stop them from glazing over.
Synopsis
Determined to even the scales and profit from his thankless job, a factory worker schemes to traffic luxury perfumes from under his employer's nose.
Storyline
A factory worker schemes to traffic luxury perfumes from under his employer's nose in this darkly comic French thriller.
TLDR
The bar is in hell if following a jaded white man steal (when he has better options) is enough to make a movie.
What stands out
The disconnect between the visual mood and the premise is stark and disappointing. What wasn't invested into the script did show up in the cinematography. Along with the more playful elements (direct-to-viewer narration), the feel of the film outshines the substance. A more concerted effort to flesh characters out, create better chemistry, discuss the impacts of large corporations infiltrating small towns, and plot a simple, uncomplicated story would have made this worth the watch.
