J Paul Getty (Plummer) built his fortune as an Oil Baron on the cheap. By 1973, he is the richest man in the world. Everyone, in his mind, wants a piece of his fortune. The Mafia does, which is why they nab his grandson, Paul (Charlie Plummer, no relation). They want $17 million for his release. But the old man refuses to pay a cent. He says he doesn't want to encourage more kidnappings of his family. But he's still motivated by his miserly ways.
Paul's mother, Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) sets off to get her son back. She's assisted by Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg), one of Getty's negotiators. They try to negotiate with Cinquanta (Romain Duris), a sympathetic gangster for Paul's safety, even getting them to lower their demands. They'll have to hurry, for the crooks are getting impatient and are willing to cut their losses. In more ways than one.
Director Ridley Scott works from a screenplay by David Scarpa based on John Pearson's book Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty. The film doesn't waste time as Paul gets nabbed immediately after the opening credits. The story keeps the audience on edge even if they know the outcome. Paul's imprisonment is appropriately tense and one major development will make you squirm.
Plummer deserves a paragraph to himself. His Getty easily goes between sympathetic and unsympathetic. One of his first scenes has give Paul a Minotaur statue like a nice grandpa. Later on, Gail finds out it's a gift shop trinket, not a priceless relic as Getty said. His refusal to pay up is both reasonable and unreasonable. You can agree with some of his points even if you find his miserliness extreme. He's one of the more sociable Scrooges since Scrooge.
Editor Claire Simpson and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski deserve some recognition for keeping the film cohesive. You'll hardly notice the differences when Plummer is on screen. There's no tonal clashes or any major editing gaffes. His scenes fit in together with the rest of the movie. It appears that Plummer was Forrest Gumped into some of Spacey's shots; a green hue gives it away. But that's a minor flaw in the story. Another strong technical achievement is Daniel Pemberton's score. Getty's Theme perfectly emphasizes the man's prominence.
All the Money in the World is an intriguing thriller and character study. It's one of those films that makes rather recent history exciting. Its portrayal of a rich man and his dysfunctional family was a strong one. It's a complex story that'll have you thinking for 133 minutes. It's amazing that the film turned out so well after its recent PR troubles. It deserves whatever recognition comes its way.
Director Ridley Scott works from a screenplay by David Scarpa based on John Pearson's book Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty. The film doesn't waste time as Paul gets nabbed immediately after the opening credits. The story keeps the audience on edge even if they know the outcome. Paul's imprisonment is appropriately tense and one major development will make you squirm.
Plummer deserves a paragraph to himself. His Getty easily goes between sympathetic and unsympathetic. One of his first scenes has give Paul a Minotaur statue like a nice grandpa. Later on, Gail finds out it's a gift shop trinket, not a priceless relic as Getty said. His refusal to pay up is both reasonable and unreasonable. You can agree with some of his points even if you find his miserliness extreme. He's one of the more sociable Scrooges since Scrooge.
Editor Claire Simpson and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski deserve some recognition for keeping the film cohesive. You'll hardly notice the differences when Plummer is on screen. There's no tonal clashes or any major editing gaffes. His scenes fit in together with the rest of the movie. It appears that Plummer was Forrest Gumped into some of Spacey's shots; a green hue gives it away. But that's a minor flaw in the story. Another strong technical achievement is Daniel Pemberton's score. Getty's Theme perfectly emphasizes the man's prominence.
All the Money in the World is an intriguing thriller and character study. It's one of those films that makes rather recent history exciting. Its portrayal of a rich man and his dysfunctional family was a strong one. It's a complex story that'll have you thinking for 133 minutes. It's amazing that the film turned out so well after its recent PR troubles. It deserves whatever recognition comes its way.
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