Film Review: "Blood & Gold" (2023).

From the director of Blood Red Sky comes Blood & Gold. This German action war film directed by Peter Thorwarth and written by Thorwarth and Stefan Barth. On his way to find his daughter, deserter Henrich is stopped by SS troops and hanged from a tree. Courageous farmer Elsa saves him just in time. United by their common enemy, the two fight for justice and for their families. A thrilling and bloody search for stolen gold treasure begins, revealing bitter secrets along the way.

The film stars Robert Maaser, Marie Hacke, Jördis Triebel, Alexander Scheer, Roy McCrerey, Florian Schmidtke, Simson Bubbel, and Stephan Grossmann. Perhaps surprisingly given the campy premise (and some genre staples, like the cry), the character drama keeps you attentive, particularly thanks to the performances by Maaser, Hacke, Scheer and Schmidtke.

It may draw from obvious influences, but it is its own movie, standing alone as a suspenseful, moving, and surprising film from start to finish. The film is a victim of its own pacing but it still delivers everything you're looking for in a good Nazi war movie (not to mention a good action movie). With a mediocre second half and a film running a little too long, and perhaps some predictability, the film still delivers an action-packed violent thrill ride in a WWII setting that creates an engaging action story. The film is a welcome bloody violent treat, a proper Nazi war story whose outrageous protagonists are more in line with the savage beasts of Inglourious Basterds than Schindler's List. With nail-biting tension and plenty of bloody violence, it practically writes itself. There's a good mix of genre favorites like Inglourious Basterds and Kelly's Heroes. There may not be much deeper thought going into the film, but this is a thrilling, nasty war movie, roaming the German countryside, causing havoc on a small German town. It delivers on its premise, so your enjoyment hinges on whether "Nazis searching for gold" sounds like great trash or irredeemable nonsense. Thorwarth splatters the screen with gore while tossing in surprises, delirious preposterousness and even a few touching moments. It's grand fun. As it is, the film is a perfectly fine action war film, bathed in blood and accentuated with explosions. It won't surprise you, but it'll keep you entertained for most of its runtime. It's an intriguing dilemma - one that a better film would have done more to contrast against the Nazis craven inhumanity - but the film fails to coagulate that conflict into action. One of the most original movies of the year comes with a premise that sounds too ridiculous to be good. Not quite as emotional as it would like, but still a lot of fun. The film is a European rollercoaster that blends action, excitement, and unexpected sweetness into what sounds like any Saturday night SYFY headliner but is so much more. It's the type of plot that screams action-war spectacle, yet this WWII thriller defies expectations from the start. A beating heart of humanity pumps through the veins of this intense action-thriller with a vicious take on Nazis.

Simon says Blood & Gold receives:

Also, see my review for Blood Red Sky.