"Every scene in Crimson Gold evokes Iranian oppression and, much more cunningly, the nasty "you are either with us or against us" mentality of the United States after 9/11." - Ed Gonzalez

ive never liked a movie solely for its exploration of social issues and probably never will. that's all i got out of this above and beyond the basic idea of a guy wandering around iran looking depressed and witnessing various examples of societal malaise before robbing a bank and shooting himself. kind of feel the same as i do about 'the headless woman' - without a 3-dimensional protagonist it just feels like a gimmick, probably clever and insightful but too uninvolving to mean much to me.

Probably one of the best opening scenes in modern cinema. Beyond that this Kiarostami-penned story comes off as a realistic portrayal of a middle-class delivery man trying to make ends meet in an Iranian society marred by inequality and injustice. Obviously the focus is on theme rather than story, which justifies the slow pace and plodding structure in step with everyday life. Bleak, haunting and minimalistic. Or in other words: Highly impressive.

Opening with the conclusion was a good choice, as otherwise the film's ambling pace would feel aimless. Instead, it allows us to see things through Hussain's eyes and take in the little things that push him to his terrible end.

MASTER!

A jewel of a film. Such a subtle, understated script from Kiarostami. Hossain Emadeddin is perfect as the anti-hero, a quiet, introverted heavy-set man, whom we are hesitant to identify as the jewel robber under the motorcycle helmet in the first scene.

Panahi was banned by Iranian government to publish this movie inside his own country (Iran). The movie is a sad story of huge gap between poor & rich in Tehran.

In some sense an Iranian "Taxi Driver."

Jafar Panahi's work is so bleak and devastating (and critical of state policing), it's perhaps no surprise his films never screen in his home country of Iran.

Really an excellent look into life in modern Iran as well as a critique of the disparity of wealth between classes.