Part family drama, part thriller and excellent from start to finish, ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD is filled with riches.
Billionaire Jean Paul Getty (an excellent Christopher Plummer) is one of the most powerful men in the world. Traveling the globe to expand his oil business, Getty built an incredible fortune. Driven by power, with little regard for anyone without focus, Getty keeps his family at a distance.
When his 16 year old grandson John Paul (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped, a huge mystery begins to unfold.
Michelle Williams (The Greatest Showman, My Week With Marilyn) is Gail, John Paul's mother, who battles with everyone to take the kidnapping seriously and find her son. Gail's pursuit is exhausting and relentless.
Getty assigns one of his right hand men Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg in by FAR his best screen performance) to assist Gail to find his favorite grandson.
As it becomes clear that the richest man on planet Earth is not going to part with a dollar to pay the ransom, the tension on both sides escalates.
Director Ridley Scott is a terrific filmmaker. His film legacy (Alien, The Martian, Thelma and Louise, Blade Runner) assures that fact, but he continues to surprise.
Scott moves this story forward at an incredible pace, slowly revealing more and more facts about people you grow to care about or despise. They aren't always on the side of the event you suspect.
Plummer famously took over the role of Getty from Kevin Spacey after his swift fall from grace last year. Scott re-shot all of Spacey's scenes with Plummer one month before the film hit theaters. It's incredible to see how seamless the re-shoots are and how fantastic Plummer is in the part.
I have no idea how Spacey played the role, but I am confident it didn't come close to Plummer.
Romain Duris is fantastic as Cinquanta, a kidnapper who grows protective of John Paul. It's great to see Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) on screen again as Getty's senior lawyer.
I'm not a huge fan of Wahlberg, but given a straight dramatic role for a change, he is surprisingly good. Holding his own against Plummer in the final scenes, their last confrontation is a powerhouse and one of the best moments in a film.
Beautifully shot, exciting from start to finish, some of the quieter moments of the film are the ones that stick with you the most.
What a story. What a movie. ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD won't bring you happiness, but this twisted true story delivers on every count and gets an A+.
After you see the film, google to find out what happened to these characters after the events of the film. Real life truly is stranger than fiction.
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