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Crimson Gold (2003)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 73
Fresh: 63 | Rotten: 10

A slow-burning, riveting film about Iranian class differences.

Average Rating: 8/10
Critic Reviews: 25
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 1

A slow-burning, riveting film about Iranian class differences.

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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 1,412

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Movie Info

Jafar Panahi's Crimson Gold was written by Abbas Kiarostami, who also wrote Panahi's The White Balloon. The film opens in the midst of a jewelry store robbery. In a single shot, a hulk of a man, trapped by the store's security system, shoots the store manager. Moments later, with an excited crowd gathering on the street outside, he turns the gun on himself. The film then flashes back several weeks. Hussein (Hossain Emadeddin) (the robber) is working as a pizza delivery man with his best friend,

Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.

Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: Jafar Panahi

Written By: Abbas Kiarostami

In Theaters: Feb 6, 2004 Limited

On DVD: Jul 20, 2004

Wellspring Media

Cast

Critic Reviews for Crimson Gold

All Critics (80) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (63) | Rotten (10) | DVD (2)

I'm glad I saw Crimson Gold. Watching it is like getting a peek behind the curtain.

August 7, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Magazine

| Comment

Peter Rainer

New York Magazine

Top Critic

Panahi's movie, unsurprisingly, has been outlawed in Iran. Nobody likes a prophet.

August 1, 2004 Comment

Anthony Lane

New Yorker

Top Critic

The movie can feel slow and tedious, but the supper it makes us work for is nourishing.

June 25, 2004 Full Review Source: Denver Post

| Comment

Vic Vogler

Denver Post

Top Critic

It's every bit as outwardly unruffled as its hero, but inwardly it seethes with the very same gradually accumulated rage. A devastating and beautiful film.

May 28, 2004 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

| Comment

Geoff Pevere

Toronto Star

Top Critic

A film both shocking and humane, as if Taxi Driver were somehow rewritten by Chekhov.

May 28, 2004 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

| Comment

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

It's the singular presence of Hussein Emadeddin -- a nonprofessional like all the other actors Panahi has used in his films -- that gives the film much of its soul and mystery.

April 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

The film's sociopolitical themes are all the more powerful for being subtly expressed through a starkly realistic tale.

September 8, 2005 Full Review Source: All Movie Guide

| Comment

Josh Ralske

All Movie Guide

An incisive portrait of one man's quiet rage at, and heartbreakingly violent response to, social inequality.

May 3, 2005 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness

| Comment

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Brutal class realities in contemporary Iran

October 2, 2004 Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews

| Comment

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

an artful failure, a moped-fueled odyssey into dramatic weariness and monotony

September 30, 2004 Comment

Jay Antani

Los Angeles Alternative Source: Los Angeles Alternative

...a slow-moving but ultimately intriguing character study.

August 21, 2004 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews

| Comment

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

It settles into the typical reflective mode of Iranian films, but something is happening: A human being is slowly, sullenly, silently approaching his combustion point.

August 13, 2004 Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer

| Comment

Lawrence Toppman

Charlotte Observer

Its cumulative power will smack viewers with all the force of a rattlesnake to the cheek.

August 13, 2004 Full Review Source: Creative Loafing

| Comment

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

Quietly brilliant psychological drama.

July 27, 2004 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

| Comment

Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

As overly familiar as director Jafar Panahi's setup and delivery seems, its freshness is in its setting.

May 29, 2004 Full Review Source: Jam! Movies

| Comment

Jim Slotek

Jam! Movies

A work of poetry

May 28, 2004 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central

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Bill Chambers

Film Freak Central

Though it sometimes seems as plodding as its burly protagonist,...an intriguing, if imperfect, piece of work.

May 21, 2004 Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion

| Comment

Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

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Audience Reviews for Crimson Gold

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A real measured and poetic presentation of class and pride in Iranian society and in just human existence in itself. The film is about a pizza delivery man who attempts to rob a jewellery store. Abbas Kiarostami wrote the script for this film, supposedly after meeting with Quintin Tarantino and you can tell in its

April 12, 2012

Hassan Vawda

Super Reviewer

April 12, 2012

Hassan Vawda

Super Reviewer

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Latest News for Crimson Gold

December 20, 2010:

Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Imprisoned, Given 20-Year Filmmaking Ban
Iranian director Jafar Panahi, known for speaking truth to power with films such as "Crimson Gold"...

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