Synopsis: Follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail to convince his billionaire grandfather to pay the ransom. When Getty Sr. refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son’s captors become increasingly volatile and brutal. With her son’s life in the balance, Gail and Getty’s advisor become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money.
Cast: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Ghassan Massoud
Screenplay: David Scarpa
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Loosely based on a twisted true story of a kidnapping of the once-richest-man-in-the-world’s grandson, Ridley Scott’s ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD is part family drama and part suspense thriller with enough tension to keep audiences at the edge of their seats. But a few misses here and there, with Scott tried to do too much at times, really made it fail to deliver as much as it should have.
A scandal involving Kevin Spacey, who was done shooting the movie for the role of Getty senior, provoked Scott to make an unprecedented move to reshoot all of Spacey’s scenes and replace him with Christopher Plummer, just 1 month before the release date. And based on what Plummer brought to the movie, it’s impossible now to see anyone other than him in the role. Plummer carried much gravitas that made this menacing modern day Scrooge, in his wicked way, bearable.
ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD is really not a terrible movie, it’s a pretty great one actually, but I think it could have been more intriguing & poignant, if it cut a few scenes and focused more on the family dynamics. It has incredible performances from Plummer and Michelle Williams (sorry Wahlberg!) and enough thrills to entertain. But the overstuffed and sometimes unfocused script kinda made it less stronger than its potential. All in all, it’ still an enjoyable watch. [B]
A copy of my review on Instagram.
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