Gold Brick 2023 Movie Review
Like so many others in the French city of Chartres, Daniel Sauveur ( Raphaël Quenard ) works in the local factory of perfume maker Breuil. And like so many, he barely makes ends meet with his wages, while Patrick Breuil ( Antoine Gouy ) and his family make a fortune with the luxury goods. Frustrated, the young man therefore decides not to accept this injustice any longer. The idea: he could simply swipe a few bottles and sell them on the black market. With the masses that are produced in the factory, this will not be noticeable. In fact, he, Scania ( Igor Gotesman ) and Virginie ( Agathe Rousselle ) soon have great success – but this also leads to problems…
Of course, stealing from other people is wrong. At least that’s what most would say intuitively, so completely without context. With context, however, this can look very different, as numerous Heist Movies have shown. After all, it’s primarily about men and women who steal from someone and whom the audience should keep their fingers crossed for. This is achieved by making the main characters particularly sympathetic and making those who are being robbed so unsympathetic that the moral question is suddenly answered differently. In Ocean’s Eleven, an unscrupulous casino owner was chosen for the purpose, while in The Treasure of the Duce, the dictator Mussolini himself was allowed to be robbed. And also with the Netflix film The Scent of Goldit should be made as easy as possible for the viewers to turn a blind eye.
The Breuils are not criminals in the strict sense. But they are exploiters and, in times when opinions critical of capitalism have become mainstream, grateful “enemies”. In addition, the film makes it clear from the start that only so many bottles are stolen that nobody notices. And if a theft doesn’t hurt, it can’t be that bad. Or? No, fundamental moral considerations should not be expected from The Fragrance of Gold . Nobody has this right. Instead, director and screenwriter Jérémie Rozan , who previously wrote some episodes of La Révolutionstaged, primarily to entertain. The social aspect of the gap between rich and poor is only a means to an end.
Instead of a raised index finger, there is humor. Like so many Heist Movies, this one is designed as a comedy. At the very least, it’s quite amusing the audacity with which this amateur gang goes about their work. However, it does not get too sophisticated. For those who watch this type of film primarily to see really wild plans where the smallest details intertwine, this is a bit little for them. In this respect , the scent of gold is a fairly simple representative of the genre. Sure: Sauveur knows his way around the factory because he works there. This eliminates an essential factor that is usually present in such stories: How do I, as an external person, get to the scene of the crime? Obtaining information is also much easier in this way.
But even if none of this is really complex, the film is definitely fun. Main actor Raphaël Quenard ( Fragile , Final Cut of the Dead ) convinces as an underdog who would like to finally get a piece of the cake himself instead of just being able to pick up a few crumbs. Coupled with the delightful twist on the scenario – perfume bottles are rarely stolen in movies – Scent of Gold makes for a nice pastime. Since the runtime is also pleasantly short at around one and a half hours, you can definitely take a look here. The result is charming and somehow likeable, even if the French crime comedy doesn’t give the genre any significant impetus.
In “The Scent of Gold”, a factory worker finally wants to have his own money and therefore begins to steal perfume bottles. The choice of the stolen goods gives it its own touch within the heist movie genre, and there are also socially critical elements. But you shouldn’t expect too much, the film is rather simple.
