drystyx When I saw this film was 2 hours long, I thought "well, obviously going to be plodding and in need of edits".An action film about a mine disaster due to corporate greed? No way you can make two hours of excitement out of that, without weighing down the story with too much political gibberish that no one understands.However, this film flowed very well, and I'm attention deficit, so that is quite amazing.There's a lot to this film. Mostly, it is cleverly directed. Even when there is no action, we get a sense of animation, or of wit, or suspense.Each actor probably thought it was "his" film. You could tell that most of them had a blast, especially the bad guys.Beckley had to believe it was his film. The bad guys are all deliciously evil, and Beckley gets to play the most deliciously evil of them. We know what he's going to be like, and he gives a great show.In that, the bad guys aren't what you would call the multi-dimensional types, but more the "James Bond" types, played to the hilt.Which brings up the next matter. Is Moore playing James Bond here? There are obvious similarities, the womanizing, the wit, the independence, the charisma, the good heart under a tough skin.But there are also differences. As "Slater", Moore isn't a Superman like Bond. He doesn't kill people. He only beats one guy up, not the usual three at a time that Bond would.There's a more realistic human in "Slater", not that Bond is unreal in character, but he is in his godlike abilities. Slater has the multiple dimensions of Bond, but also is more like a regular guy, although he is as wealthy as James Bond, with thousands of dollars meaning nothing to him.Then there's the girl. Susanah York is cleverly done. Either by acting talent or by make up, she achieves the "change" described in her character. When we first see her, she is plain and insignificant. However, as her father, played by Ray Milland, notices, she becomes a newer, prettier creature after meeting "Slater".That's important to the story. We now believe the whirlwind romance, as she has been married to a cold calculating Bradford Dillman, usually an "Everyman", and here his "Everyman" look is geared towards a sinister side.There is great drama, great theatrics, and great scenery to help us along the way. This is one of the quickest two hours you will ever see. Bravo.

Jackson Booth-Millard With the 50th anniversary of the James Bond 007 film series approaching, and being a big fan of the third actor to have played the role, I decided to familiarise myself with some of his other film and television work, and I knew about this film he made just after Live and Let Die, from director Peter Hunt (On Her Majesty's Secret Service). Basically at the Sonderditch mine in South Africa a tunnel has collapsed, and underground manager Rod Slater (Sir Roger Moore) and his best friend and chief miner Big King (Simon Sabela) go to rescue those injured, the two are friends despite some of the white miners disregarding the black workers. The collapse is identified as not being an accident, there is a plot by a criminal syndicate in London to destroy the mine to profit from the share dealing, with regards to the gold supply distributed, and the mine owner's son-in-law Manfred Steyner (Bradford Dillman) is involved with the plan to flood the mine drilling through the underground dike and releasing the water from the reservoir. Killed in the collapse was the mine's original general manager, and there is a vacancy to be the new one, and Steyner interviews Slater as he knows he has the best qualifications, but he has another candidate in mind, and during the meeting Slater meets Steyner's wife Terry (Superman's Susannah York), who does not return his attraction interests. Slater and Terry meet again so that she may influence the decision for the general manager position to mine owner and her grandfather Hurry Hirschfeld (Ray Milland), and as a result she and he start an affair, Steyner is not happy he becomes general manager, but Slater only continues drilling work after placing a new safety system in the mine, that will block the tunnel in case a flood does happen. Slater has no idea of the plot by the crime syndicate, and aware that his wife is having an affair with him Steyner decides to let this go ahead so that he will be distracted while the mine is collapsed, and soon enough the dike is destroyed and a flood breaks, trapping thousands of workers below. Luckilly though the story is reported on the radio news and Slater hears it while holidaying with Terry, and she is a pilot, so agrees to fly him immediately to the mine to defuse the situation, while Steyner is watching from a hill far and above the scene watching to see the disaster unfold according to plan. Going down the mine shaft and climbing through the flooding tunnels, Slater and Big King struggle against the raging waters and slowly falling rocks, the safety charge is connected and ready to blow and stop the flooding, but Big King sacrifices himself having to detonate the charge. Steyner is murdered by his accomplice Stephen Marais (Tony Beckley) after hearing on the radio that the mine disaster has been averted and their plan has failed, but he also ends up killing himself when the car he uses goes flying off the cliff and blows up, and the end sees a badly injured Slater taken away to hospital with Terry by his side. Also starring Sir John Gielgud as Farrell, Bernard Horsfall as Dave Kowalski, Marc Smith as Tex Kiernan, Norman Coombes as Lemmer, John Hussey as Plummer and a very young Patsy Kensit as Little Girl at Christmas Party. I admit that Moore is a bit wooden in this film, but I can't imagine anyone else in his role, and he assisted by a good cast of stars, even though they don't necessarily do as much, Dillman though is a great choice for the manipulative villain, the story has unnecessary scenes, but the mine scenes just about exciting, especially towards the end, and the title song by Jimmy Helms is catchy, it may look and feel old fashioned, and you don't see much gold, LOL, but it is an alright adventure. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Song for "Wherever Love Takes Me" , and it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Sound Track. Worth watching!

sol1218 ***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!

steele505 I saw this film while living in Geneva Switzerland in 1981, courtesy of a borrowed video cassette copy. I was a lot younger then, thirty, and less discerning, but I was utterly enchanted by actress Susannah York, and have been ever since. It had the feel of a good James Bond adventure and I thought that actor Roger Moore was at his best, and in fact was better in this film then in any of his James Bond movies. I've never visited South Africa, but had studied the history of the country, and I enjoyed viewing the on-location scenes of the country. There are great scenes workers in the mines, as well as Zulu warriors in their regalia.