Blood & Gold

Most of the action is engaging (and bloody), even if none of it's particularly inspired or creative. The mystery of the gold in Blood & Gold is actually more intriguing than its violent set pieces, which by the end start to make some of the action feel kind of lackluster. The structure of the film then becomes apparent: each bit of action grants more story, which for some will feel a bit too formulaic, especially given the film's kind of whimsical tone to much of the proceedings. There's a bit of comedy in the action and violence, but it sometimes feels like it can't decide if it wants to be explicitly funny or deadly serious. Of course, the context and backdrop are serious, as is the scary-looking lead villain, but even he comes across as slightly comical in his ridiculously gruesome visage.

Further, the stakes don't seem quite big enough to match the action, not only because there isn't any real bite to the violence, but also because the film pretty quickly kills off some characters that if kept alive might have better anchored the main characters in their goals. Instead, the heroes end up having to save each other from dangerous predicaments. The main characters also don't seem to care about the gold at all, so early on the viewer is instructed not to hope that the gold ends up with the heroes. Heinrich trying to reach his daughter is the only real pull left, outside of Elsa simply surviving. And the film makes it clear from the beginning that "the Americans have practically already secured victory," so it seems that a lot of the tension simply rests on whether or not the Nazis can get the gold before the Americans get there.