Ben ‘Finn’ Finnegan (Matthew McConaughey) is a modern-day treasure hunter obsessed with finding the legendary ‘Queen’s Dowry’ – a priceless treasure lost at sea in 1714. Finn has sunk everything he has into his quest, including his marriage to Tess (Kate Hudson).
Just as Tess has begun to rebuild her life, working aboard a mega-yacht owned by billionaire Nigel Honeycutt (Donald Sutherland), Finn discovers a vital clue to the treasure’s whereabouts. Much to her consternation, Finn manoeuvres himself aboard Nigel’s yacht and, using his roguish charm, convinces the tycoon and his celebutante daughter, Gemma (Alexis Dziena), to join him in his pursuit.
But – and you can see where this is going – they’re not the only ones after the prize. Ruthless bad-guy Bigg Bunny (Kevin Hart) is intent on beating Finn to the trove.
Within its genre, this film is a gem. Rarely is film so easy on the eye. Predictable though the plot may be, Fool’s Gold is genuinely funny. Hudson and McConaughey’s bickering is brilliant. Throw in a bimbo, two comedy henchmen, and a leering Eastern European, and you have a plethora of amusing (if unoriginal) gag lines. This formula is bejewelled by the unexpectedly dark character of Bigg Bunny, whose malevolent nature leads to action sequences that left me on the edge of my seat.
Of course there were bad points too – as we must now expect of an action film, the music is strongly reminiscent of Gladiator/Pirates of the Caribbean. Worse, the legend of the ‘Queen’s Dowry’ was poorly explained, with each ‘twist’ greeted with more of a confused shrug than a gasp of surprise. These elements felt like missed opportunities, which was a great shame.
The ‘romantic action comedy’ genre is not to everyone’s taste, but if it floats your boat then you’d be a fool to miss this gold!
4 stars out of 5
