What happens when you have all the money in the world?
All the Money in the World is the latest movie from Ridley Scott, who also did this year’s Blade Runner 2049.
He’s 80. He’s released Blade Runner and this movie in 2017. Again, he's 80. There, don’t you feel lazy.
The movie tells the story of the 1973 kidnapping of the grandson of J. Paul Getty the world’s richest man at the time.
Ridley Scott gets right to it. Paul Getty, the grandson, is living a bohemian life in Italy, where he is kidnapped off the streets. Then through flashback we are told about the early relationship between the family member and J. Paul Getty.
And it ain't good.
If you're the grandson of the richest person in history. Seriously, get some bodyguards.
But the tension of the movie, really isn’t in the kidnapping, it’s in J. Paul Getty’s response to the kidnapping. He doesn’t want to pay the kidnappers. Never mind he could pay the ransom. It would be like loose change to mere mortals. But from the senior Getty’s opinion, if he paid the ransom then he would have other grandchildren kidnapped. The movie is somewhat the exploration of what money is to different people. J. Paul Getty thinks he and his family is special.
The problem also is that Paul Getty’s parents have gone through a bitter divorce. His mother has complete custody of the kids due to the father’s drug habits. So the kidnappers are confused when the mother doesn’t have the 14 million dollars for the ransom. So Mrs. Getty has to begin the embarrassing visits and negotiations with her former father-in-law for the money.
Michelle Williams plays Gail Harris, Paul Getty’s mom. Mark Wahlberg plays Fletcher Chase a former CIA agent who now works for J. Paul Getty as head of his security. And Christopher Plummer plays J. Paul Getty. Plummer was famously inserted into the movie, as Kevin Spacey originally played the character, but when the sexual assaults came to light, the studio was about to shelve the movie. So Ridley Scott reshot the scenes with Christopher Plummer over a span of nine days. And his portrayal is outstanding. How Ridley Scott pulled this off so quickly and seamlessly should be studied in film school for years.
The movie moves from one set-up to the next as they try to solve the kidnapping. The tension moves between the relationship between Gail and J. Paul Getty, and Paul Getty and his kidnappers.
But really this is Christopher Plummer's movie. He gives an extraordinary performance. And you can feel the hatred toward him as a member of the 1% of the 1% and their attitudes toward everyone else. His performance is Oscar worthy.
Final thoughts
I would recommend the movie for fans of Ridley Scott’s work and for Christopher Plummer’s performance. I would recommend catching this as Netflix rental when it hits, or maybe a matinee
