Review: All the Money in the World
When looking at Ridley Scott's filmography as a whole, his latest work All the Money in the World seems a minor work. A solid drama that works in fits and starts, would have benefited from a more focused first half, and is bolstered mainly by the performances of Michelle Williams and Christopher Plummer. Yet, more than any of his works, All the Money in the World is irrevocable proof that Scott is one of the ballsiest directors that ever lived.
Who else but Scott would have the gumption to replace Kevin Spacey, originally cast as J. Paul Getty but subsequently done in by numerous sexual assault and harassment allegations, with Plummer with only about six weeks to go before the film's release? Brilliant as Scott is, the move was a risky one for the studio to get behind - remember this is the same Scott that's spent decades tweaking and re-tweaking Blade Runner. What Scott has achieved is undoubtedly impressive; one only wishes the film were more so.
Based on a true story, the film begins in 1973 as 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer, no relation to Christopher) is snatched from the streets of Rome by an organised crime ring, who demand a ransom of $17 million from his mother Gail (Williams). When she protests that she doesn't have that kind of money, the kidnapper directs her to go to her former father-in-law J. Paul Getty (Plummer). After all, "he has all the money in the world." Indeed, at the time, the oil tycoon was not only the richest man in the world, he was the richest man in the history of the world, the sort who can quip, "If you can count your money, then you're not a billionaire" during an interview with Playboy.
Truth is often stranger than fiction and, indeed, John Paul would end up languishing in a remote location in Calabria, Italy for nearly five months because his notoriously frugal grandfather refused to pay the ransom. After all, the grandfather of fourteen tells reporters, if he paid the ransom for one kidnapped grandchild, then he'd end up with fourteen kidnapped grandchildren. For Getty, his fortune was both his status and his armour - for him to kowtow to such demands would be a show of vulnerability, a quality which he seemed to abhor. "Everything has a price and the great struggle in life is coming to grips with what that price is," Getty says early in the film. It's not that Getty doesn't care enough about his grandson to pony up the money, he just wants to do it in the most cost-effective way. When the kidnappers eventually reduce the ransom to $3 million, Getty agrees to pay $2.2 million because it's the maximum that will be tax deductible and lends his son the remaining amount at 4% interest.
In many respects, this portrait of Getty and the clash of the wills that ensue between him and Gail is the heart and soul of All the Money in the World. Gail may bear the name Getty, but she possesses none of its power, having refused any alimony or settlement during her divorce from Getty's son and requesting only custody of her children and child support. Yet she's the one criticised by the media, who can't believe that not only does she not have the money to get her son back but that she doesn't even have the decency to cry at the situation so they can get a good picture for their papers. Williams is absolutely stunning as the fiercely determined Gail, using her wits to outmanoeuvre Getty and the press but also having to do whatever it takes to ensure that her son is returned. She also shares a fine dynamic with Mark Wahlberg, who portrays the former CIA operative Getty employs to recover John Paul, but Wahlberg and his thinly drawn character are easily the weak links in the film.
All the Money in the World
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Written by: David Scarpa; based on Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty by John Pearson
Starring: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Timothy Hutton, Charlie Plummer, Charlie Shotwell, Marco Leonardi, Andrew Buchan, Stacy Martin
