ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD Review

Despite Christopher Plummer’s J.P. Gettty very clearly being the antagonist in director Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World the film also seems aware that this is very much a complex character that holds more substance and conflict than what might otherwise be optioned to be portrayed as the straight-up villain of the piece. That said, Scott will often times play to the dark comedy of how much of a penny-pincher the richest man in the history of the world was. Such is true when the director will set-up a scene with the intention of making the audience think one thing only to pull the rug out from under them a moment later; Getty not actually bargaining on the cost of the ransom, but rather on that of an otherwise invaluable painting for example. This technique emphasizes the relationship, the fondness, the affinity Getty has for his money in a movie that is about his refusal to fork over untold millions for something that might offer a greater relationship or something he has a greater fondness and a greater affinity for: his grandson. This again may make Plummer’s Getty out to sound like the obvious villain of All the Money in the World, but there are lessons to be learned-even from those who might not be the most sincere or honest people in the room. Getty might not have always even been the smartest person in the room at any given time for he himself says that any fool can “get” rich, but there is always a strategy or plan in place with Getty-an ability to read the room and/or any offer that came across his desk-that paints this portrait of a man who isn’t being let off the hook for his misplacement of priorities in life (it’s hard to read if the man might have even had any regrets in his final moments when it came to realizing all he had were things and no one in particular that cared about him that he could leave all of his things to), but rather is being conveyed just as he was which was anything but complicated-the man seemed to have a very strict code of conduct-but is all the more complicated for applying that code to every aspect of life. After all, Getty likely could have cared less what anyone thought of him given the power such wealth afforded him. This all brings the conversation back around to that golden rule of he who has the gold makes the rules and in the case of All the Money in the World and the narrative it encapsulates, Getty never takes his hands off the wheel. Thank God for Christopher Plummer.

First Trailer for ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

Ridley Scott is pushing 80. He will be 80 come the end of November which means by the time his second film of 2017 lands in theaters he will have hit that milestone of a birthday. That's right. Not only is Scott nearly older than most of your grandparents and making gigantic action/sci-fi movies, but he's making and releasing two big studio pictures a year (not to mention serving as a producer on multiple projects including the Blade Runner sequel). This second film, which looks as prestige as anything the filmmaker has produced since 2013's misfire The Counselor, follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Kevin Spacey) 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 (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money. The film is based on the true story of the 1973 kidnapping of John Getty III with a screenplay by David Scarpa (2008's The Day the Earth Stood Still). I'm liking all of what I'm seeing here whether it be the fact that Scarpa is the sole screenwriter on the project no matter his previous work, that Scott apparently shot this earlier this year and that it's already ready for release, as well as the fact the cast is rather exceptional with word on the street being Spacey might just give Gary Oldman a run for his money in the Best Actor category as Oldman has been the early favorite for his role as Winston Churchill where he is equally as made-up as Spacey is here. That said, Spacey is hardly the center of attention here, but more the catalyst supporting character as Wahlberg and Williams look to be leading this with solid chemistry to spare. Wahlberg may not be the greatest actor of his generation, but it's hard to argue his versatility based on his output in 2017 alone which will now include this crime thriller, a Transformers movie, and a broad comedy in Daddy's Home 2. Needless to say, I look forward to how this plays and am hoping, as always, for the best. All the Money in the World also stars Romain Duris, Timothy Hutton, Andrew Buchan, Olivia Grant, Teresa Mahoney, Marco Leonardi and opens on on December 8th, 2017.