In 1973, John Paul Getty III- grandson of oil tycoon and richest man in the world J. Paul Getty- was kidnapped in Italy, and a ransom demand for $17 million was issued. Just one problem: Getty refused to pay a penny. Paul's mother Gail and one of Getty's negotiators, Fletcher Chase, travelled to Italy to try and negotiate Paul's release without the old man's help. This unbelievable real-life story is the basis for All The Money In The World, directed by Ridley Scott.
I want to start this review by addressing the elephant in the room. It's no secret that the film underwent extensive reshoots a month before its release, recasting the role of J. Paul Getty after the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct made against Kevin Spacey. Christopher Plummer (Scott's original choice for the role of Getty) was brought in to replace him, and there were nine days of reshoots in November 2017 to re-film the twenty-two scenes Getty appears in.
To say that Christopher Plummer is an adequate replacement would be to do the gentleman a great disservice; Plummer steals the show. He is absolutely brilliant as Getty. He pulls off a weird balancing act: his Getty is weirdly effusive, welcoming his family in and having a strong relationship with Paul when he was younger; yet, he's also emotionally distant, caring more about the acquisition of wealth (in one particularly callous scene, Getty blithely spends $1.5million on a painting whilst Paul is at the point of being mutilated by his captors). It's a fascinating performance- Getty never comes across as miserly (despite washing his own underwear) or greedy, but he's still as much of a villain as the kidnappers. While we will probably never see Spacey's take on the character- Scott has said that Spacey's footage won't be officially released- this is still a truly remarkable performance.
But Plummer's is not the only superb turn in the film; Michelle Williams is equally strong as Paul's mother Gail. A Getty by marriage only- and divorced from Paul's father- she is thrown into a nightmarish world yet remains steadfast and determined to get her son back. Gail is no wilting wallflower, no passive hand-wringing damsel in distress- she's assertive and can play the game when she needs to; when an Italian newspaper receives a gruesome package pertaining to Paul's kidnapping, she cannily agrees to them publishing full details- so long as she can be paid in newspapers (one thousand copies are subsequently delivered to Getty's English country estate, to shame him into action). It's an assured performance and- in an awards season full of fascinating, complex female characters- is a particular highlight.
Mark Wahlberg is pretty decent as Fletcher Chase, although he's not given an awful lot of character. He's a negotiator, he's been divorced multiple times and... that's really all we know. He gets a particularly strong scene towards the end where Chase- exasperated by Getty's intransigence- lays into the old man. Charlie Plummer (no relation to Christopher) is good as Paul; he's not a loud, bratty, entitled kid, he's a gentle, almost timid person. There are several tough scenes where Paul really goes through the wringer and you really feel for him. There's also a strong performance by Romain Duris as Cinquanta, one of Paul's kidnappers (who is sympathetic to the boy and tries to help him out).
This is a sumptuous, good-looking film. Dariusz Wolski's cinematography is particularly good; the opening shot as Paul wanders through Rome before the abduction is beautifully done; scenes at Getty's English estate are opulent, all wood panelling and classical art. There are several standout sequences- the police raid on the compound is thrilling, and the final sequence involving Paul, Gail, Fletcher, the police and the kidnappers all running round the narrow, misty streets of a small Italian town is similarly pulse-racing.
I do wonder how many people will go and see All The Money In The World just because of the Spacey controversy. I certainly can't imagine the decision to recast and reshoot so close to release was taken lightly, and- given such a tight turnaround- the entire crew is to be commended for getting everything shot and edited and ready in time. To be honest, it doesn't really matter why you're going to see the film. It's an intriguing story that's incredibly well told.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Tez
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