Golden Cinema: 10 Classic Movies Featuring Bullion

Throughout cinematic history, gold has been immensely popular as a subject. Several classic movies have focused on gold – be it thrilling heists or tales of daring adventure on the frontier.

Below are the top 10 movies featuring the yellow metal in order of release

1. The Gold Rush (1925)

This silent film comedy starring the iconic Charlie Chaplin features the actor as the Lone Prospector, traveling to Alaska to find fortunes in the Klondike gold rush. Bad weather stymies the Prospector’s plans and he ends up stranded in a remote cabin with a prospector and escaped fugitive. The prospector, Big Jim, claims he’s found a large gold deposit. They find gold and more in this classic comedy.

2. Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

One of Humphrey Bogart’s real classics, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was directed by John Huston and is an adaptation of a 1927 novel by the same name. The story takes place in Mexico where two homeless Americans join up with an old-timer prospector to search for gold in the remote Sierra Madre Mountains.  However, the trio soon discover the dangers of the Mexican frontier in this exciting tale of bandits and Mexican federales.

3. North to Alaska (1960)

A comedic Western starring John Wayne, North to Alaska is about a prospector named George Pratt who, after finding gold, sends his partner, Sam McCord (played by Wayne), back to Seattle to bring back his fiancée. But once he reaches Seattle, Sam discovers his partner’s beloved is already married to another man. Not discouraged, Sam brings back a prostitute named Angel as a substitute. In the ensuing chaos, saloon owner and con man Frankie Cannon tries to steal the gold claim. Once they get back to Alaska, George rejects Angel and over time, Sam wins her heart

4. Goldfinger (1964)

A list about gold “themed” movies just wouldn’t be complete without our favorite 007 movie. Goldfinger stars Sean Connery and starts with Agent 007 being assigned to observe bullion dealer Auric Goldfinger and investigate his gold smuggling operations. In uncovering the magnate’s trickery, James Bond  discovers a plot to infiltrate Fort Knox and destroy the global economy.

5. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966)

This classic film by Italian director Sergio Leone is considered by many to be the ultimate “Spaghetti Western.” Starring Clint Eastwood (the good), Lee Van Cleef (the bad) and Eli Wallach (the ugly), the plot centers on three gunslingers during the Civil War who compete to find $200,000 worth of Confederate gold while dodging battles, prison camps, hangings, and, of course, each other. The film is a battle of wits as each character knows only one bit of information on where the gold is, and how to retrieve it.

6. The Italian Job (1969, 2003)

Originally produced in Britain in 1969 and remade in the U.S. in 2003, the Italian Job is about a gold heist, what else? The 1969 British version involves a plot to steal a gold shipment in Turin, Italy, by creating a traffic jam. The 2003 American features a crew who steals a cache of gold bars in Venice, Italy, with a quick car and a brilliant plan.  The heist worked, but the crew is betrayed by one of their members. The film follows the rest of the crew as they hunt down the traitor for revenge.  This is a fast-paced action film that shows there is honor among thieves.

7. Kelly’s Heroes (1970)

Kelly’s Heroes is a war comedy about a group of World War II soldiers in France who decide to go AWOL to rob a bank behind enemy lines. The film stars Clint Eastwood and was directed by Brian G. Hutton. The story begins when Kelly (played by Eastwood) captures a German intelligence officer. After noticing a gold bar in his briefcase, Kelly gets his prisoner drunk to try and get more information about the gold. Learning about 14,000 bars being stored at a bank 30 miles behind enemy lines, Kelly recruits the rest of his platoon to sneak off and steal the gold.

8. The Great Train Robbery (1978)

Starring Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland and directed by Michael Crichton, the Great Train Robbery is about a charismatic member of London’s high society, Edward Pierce (Connery), who is in fact a master thief who plans to steal a shipment of gold being transported from London to Folkestone. After learning of the bank’s extra security, Pierce decides he needs help and recruits an old acquaintance. The robbers devise creative ways to avoid capture, like replacing gold bars with lead and making wax copies of safe keys rather than stealing them outright.

9. Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995)

This third installment in the Die Hard series stars Bruce Willis as New York Police Lieutenant John McClane. Following an explosion at a New York department store, the bomber instructs the police to bring McClane back on the job. It’s later discovered that the bomber is the brother of Hans Gruber, a terrorist McClane killed in the first Die Hard movie. After trying to crack Gruber’s riddles on where a large bomb is planted, McClane realizes that the bomber’s intentions were to rob a repository of gold at the New York Federal Reserve.

10. Three Kings (1999)

Three Kings is another satirical war film starring George Clooney, Ice-T and Mark Wahlberg. At the conclusion of the first Gulf War, Troy Barlow (Wahlberg) finds a map on a surrendering Iraqi soldier. The three are convinced the map in fact leads to a bunker containing gold bullion stolen in Kuwait. They set out to find the gold without official sanction, but as they reach the palace where the gold is held, they soon find themselves helping a group of anti-Saddam rebels reach safety.

One character that we feel deserves an honorable mention is Scrooge McDuck. You can’t forget that famous scene of him swimming in a vat of gold bullion.

So pop some popcorn, gather your friends and cue up a movie to complement your investment strategy with this great gold movie fest.

Did we leave any out?

What is your favorite gold-themed movie?

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