Review: All The Money In The World Is An Excellent Mess
- Jan 4, 2018
- 2 min read
Ridley Scott is something of a hit and miss director. For every Gladiator and Alien there's a Prometheus and Exodus. But rarely is he so hit and miss within a single film.
John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped in Rome. His mother, Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) hopes that her grandfather John Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer), the richest man in the world, to pay the ransom of $17 million. He refuses, instead calling to aid his personal ex-CIA agent Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg) to track down and recover his grandson. But life is full of twists and turns, some far worse than others.
Right of the bat, All The Money In The World is a solid film. It isn't great but it's far from bad, mostly due to Christopher Plummer's masterful portrayal of Getty. He combines the age and the power into a single, towering figure. While it certainly would have been interesting, though not necessarily better, to see Spacey in the role, Plummer is more than excellent. The story in and of itself is an interesting one. It's difficult to go into detail, so I won't, but rest assured, it's entertaining.
Another standout is Romain Duris as the man in charge of Paul Getty III's kidnapping. He doesn't have a major role but he's an engrossing character. Unfortunately the film suffers from Scott's usual over-telling. The first half hour or so is spent jumping around locations and dates, and doesn't really add much, things slow down in the middle and the end gets a little ridiculous, though this all may be true to life.
Ultimately I'd say check it out, more so for the acting and characters than anything else. It may not be cinema worthy but it's definitely worth the watch.
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