All The Money In The World

Year: 2017
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Timothy Hutton, Charlie Plummer


Plot: Based on the true story of J. Paul Getty, the richest man in the world during the 70s, who refused to pay the ransom for his 16 year old grandson's kidnapping, much to the chagrin of his daughter in-law, Gail Harris.


Review: All The Money In The World already made headlines when the studio decided to remove Kevin Spacey's involvement in the film due to his sexual assault allegations and replace him with Christopher Plummer, after the film had wrapped production. As a result, director Ridley Scott had to reshoot the film with Plummer, and he did it in eight days. It is an astounding feat, considering the role is quite substantial.

This fact alone should be enough to draw audiences to watch the film, which is based on the true story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, grandson of J. Paul Getty, the richest man in the world in 1973. The film revolves around the young Getty's experience with the kidnappers, the senior Getty's refusal to pay the ransom and his excuses for not doing so, and his daughter in-law's efforts to save her son, with the help of Getty's negotiator Fletcher Chase. Scott deftly flips back and forth between the three subplots and rarely wastes any time in moving the story forward, and still manages to make the entire film fascinating to watch. 

Mark Wahlberg is pretty much himself in playing Chase, and it's clear he fits the role like a glove. It's predictable but it works as it plays to his strengths. Michelle Williams gets the tougher role as the desperate Gail, who has to find a way to pay the ransom to save her son, but as she accurately puts it in a scene, "I'm fighting an empire." Williams easily nails the part. Plummer scores as the elder Getty, turning in an engaging performance overall. While he may seem cold in his refusal to pay the ransom, Plummer gives Getty a sense of amiability which makes him more human than one would expect. Also deserving praise is Romain Duris as Cinquanta, one of the kinder kidnappers who tries to protect the young Getty whenever possible.

The film however is less engaging in an emotional sense. All The Money In The World feels much closer to American Gangster than Gladiator, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (I loved American Gangster more than some people). Scott may have given us a less dramatic story than I would have liked, but as far as true stories go, this one looks quite good.

All The Money In The World is a solid feature from Ridley Scott. Not one of his best, but very watchable. (7.5/10)