All The Money In The World

Director:

Ridley Scott

Starring:
Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn, Brokeback Mountain, Shutter Island)
Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Transformers: The Last Knight, The Happening)
Christopher Plummer (Beginners, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011), The Sound of Music)

Plot:
J.P. Getty (Plummer) is the richest man in the history of the world.  His vast fortunes come from investment in oil and real estate, but he has never truly invested in his family.  When his grandson is kidnapped whilst living in Italy, the kidnappers deliver a ransom of $17 million, but Getty refuses to pay.  Getty's daughter-in-law (Williams) tries to persuade him to change his mind, but instead he hires an ex-CIA agent (Wahlberg) to get his grandson back without having to spend a penny of his money.


Verdict
It's not often that a film's reputation precedes it.

In recent memory, I remember waiting for The Dark Knight to start, unfortunately knowing the untimely demise of Heath Ledger, which only amplified his performance and made the film feel special.

Similarly with Justice League last year, I had heard about the film's troubled production and how much money went into digitally removing Henry Cavill's moustache during re-shoots, which again added to my experience when first watching the film.

Unfortunately ATMITW's notoriety didn't come from re-shoots and dodgy moustaches, but the actions of one of my former favourite actors, Kevin Spacey.  There's no doubt that you know of the reason why Spacey has been in the news over the past few months, but understandably he was removed from this production and replaced within a month of the film's release by beloved character actor, Christopher Plummer (who had actually met Getty during the 1960s!).

Unfortunately, nothing in the film comes closer to the controversy surrounding it.  Whilst Michelle Williams gives a decent performance as the distraught mother looking for a way to bring her child back and Mark Wahlberg shows up and effectively smolders, the two stand-out performances are from Plummer (shocker) and Romain Duris as one of the kidnappers who starts empathising with the grandson, and almost starts wishing for the kid to escape.

*NB: I wrote this review before the Williams/Wahlberg salary news was made public, but comparing the two performances, Williams outperforms Wahlberg in every scene and this should have been represented in their pay, but unfortunately this was not the case*

Thankfully, it is in the performances of Plummer and Duris that the film asks its main question: "What does family mean to me?"

Whilst Getty sees family as some sort of leech on his own personal fortune, the kidnapper Cinquata is bound by his family to see this grisly duty through to the end, despite his moral objections. 

This dilemma manages to flip the perception of who truly is the villain, as Getty's constant refusal to pay for the release of his grandson, even whilst the ransom lowers to $10 million and then $4 million paints Getty as a heartless and selfish monster, yet Plummer stays resolute and stoic in his performance. 

Apparently Spacey played up this monstrous side of Getty, almost becoming a caricature, which is another reason I'm grateful for the recasting.

Plummer added a warmth to the character, with certain earlier scenes between the younger grandson and his kindly grandfather contrasting even more so when Getty reveals himself to be so cold-hearted towards his own blood relative.

Moving onto the direction, this is a welcome change for Ridley Scott to focus on a tense thriller mixed with a family drama, rather than an action-filled set-piece set in space, or some boring and pretentious swords-and-sandals film. 

However, the pace of the film slows to a dull plod after the initial kidnapping and doesn't really kick off again until the last third of the film when escapes attempts are made and the grandson gets closer to freedom.  Unfortunately by that point, most of the interest has died away and you're just wanting the film to be over.

Overall, an interesting and subverted premise is wasted by a lack of pace and some sub-par direction, and ultimately a large feeling that just something isn't right. 

Removing Spacey was obviously the correct decision and Plummer is an inspired replacement, however in keeping with current times, the removal of a powerful and rich white man had a resounding impact.

Rating

5/10

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