All the Money in the World is a miracle. To get the elephant in the room out of the way quickly, this was the film directed by Ridley Scott who in one month completely re-shot and re-edited a chunk of the already finished product to replace the disgraced Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer, and still make its late December Awards contender release. And now that I’ve seen it, I can say with certainty, that that was accomplished! You can’t tell this film had been hastily reconstructed, and whether you like it or not, that’s an admirable and historic feat for a Hollywood movie.
In 1973, teenager Paul Getty (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped by a powerful crime syndicate while in Rome and held for a ransom of $17 million. The kidnappers expect his extremely wealthy oil magnate grandfather J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) to pay it, however he refuses. So it’s up to Paul’s mother Gail (Michelle Williams), cut off from the Getty fortune due to a divorce, to raise the money or find her son with the help of one of Getty’s men Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg).
It clearly shows why Ridley Scott was so determined to complete this film, because his heart is really in it. The film is consistently intense and permeated with an urgency that’s carried by its actors and screenplay. The story is divided between the efforts by Gail to appeal to Getty or track Paul’s kidnappers, and Paul’s imprisonment and torture, both done in gritty detail. This is a movie that manages to be unexpected, even if you know what really happened. A number of close calls keep you on the edge of your seat and they’re shot with some of the realism Scott exhibited in Black Hawk Down, sometimes to an extensive degree. There’s one scene that if you know the story, you’ll be expecting, but it’s still shocking and gruelling to watch. With all this, the film has, of all things, a very classicist tone. This is especially with regards to how the character of Getty is played, with an air of limitless power, but also the arrogance, bitterness, and entitlement that goes along with it. He’s a figure quite evocative of a Roman Emperor, which is emphasized by his enormous collection of antiques and antiquities. The focus on the family dynamic is also really strong, the weight of the Getty name, and how the public react to the kidnapping. Obviously there’s plenty of moments where Gail is barraged by press, but there are also things like the suggestion by Chase, Getty, and implicitly more not directly involved, that the kidnapping may be a fake to extort money from the senior Getty. Each relationship, between Getty and Paul, Getty and Gail, and even Paul’s father John Jr. (Andrew Buchan) is fascinating, and has an echo of a historic dynasty.
Christopher Plummer is absolutely terrific as Getty; more so in the knowledge that the 88 year old took on the role at the last minute on a tight schedule. Even without the Spacey scandal, Plummer is a much better actor and could only be an improvement. He dominates every one of his scenes with his breadth of presence, capturing the complex motivations and feelings of the miserly tycoon with remarkable ease; and he’s sure to receive recognition come Awards season. Also worthy of attention is Michelle Williams as the strong and persistent Gail, desperate to get her son back, but formidably going forward with any option that presents itself. In one scene she notes that the press want her to cry for her son, but she’s far too fearless to do so. Yet at the same time, she’s still driven by emotion and duress, using it to her advantage. She’s one hell of a great character and Williams delivers another stellar performance. Mark Wahlberg is great as one of the films’ most conflicted characters; so is Romain Duris as the other, one of Paul’s captors who develops a sympathetic relationship with the boy. And the younger Plummer (unrelated to the elder) is really convincing as Paul -as anxious and frightened in his circumstances as the audience. It’s also nice to see Andrew Buchan, if only in a small part as Paul’s bum of an addict dad.
All the Money in the World is certainly the far better Ridley Scott film of 2017 (Alien: Covenant wishes it could have been this tense). For pulling this movie out despite the odds, credit goes to a lot of the crew, but especially Scott and his editor Claire Simpson for organically working a solid third of reshoots into the finished movie in what I’m sure must have been record time. It goes to show that despite his bad films, Scott is still an absolute pro, and this was a very good movie to prove it with.
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