All the Money in the World [2017]: Ridley Scott’s latest entry is one of the best-written films of the year. Based on the 1995 book by John Pearson, this thriller drama tackles the story of John Paul Getty III’s kidnapping incident, how it sparked major controversies and the turmoil that his family fell into during its complicated ransom negotiation.
A Script of its own kind. This film is tight and riveting by its dialogue alone. The exchange, statements, and arguments are so powerful that one will not even get tired of listening. This is one of those films that the dialogue itself carried a subpar material. There’s nothing really special about the story or its premise. The focus of the script and the story it was based on is the conflict between Gail (Michelle Williams), Fletcher (Mark Wahlberg) and J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer).
World-Class Performances. No matter how great a script is, the film wouldn’t survive without its top-notch cast. The $10-Million, 9-day reshoot turn out to be a blessing in disguise as the audience get to see a real old man to play J. Paul Getty with Plummer giving a legitimate performance instead of suffering through two hours of prosthetics on Kevin Spacey’s face. Michelle Williams once again proved that she’s one of the best actresses today with a tough and emotional performance that elevated the tension to a higher level. It’s quite surprising to see Mark Wahlberg deliver a great performance considering how dreadful his past few movies are. His character’s arc is one of the best parts of the movie. From being under Getty to being a person that actually cared for Gail and her son. This role is crucial and it could have ruined some of the points, but Mark did a fabulous job keeping up with Michelle’s stellar showcase.
Paul Getty III really disappeared. This film is really good. It is intense, well-acted and well shot. But what kept this movie from being great is actually one of the most crucial parts of the story, John Paul Getty III himself. It is clear that the film’s intention with its advertisement and title “All the Money in the World” is to show how Getty Sr. handles his money and how reluctant he is in negotiating the ransom for his grandson’s kidnappers. But taking away Williams, Wahlberg and Christopher Plummer’s characters, the film didn’t really show anything about Paul that is worth seeing and worth cheering for. This movie started with him walking down the road in Rome at night along with him narrating. But after narrating for like, a quarter of the film, we never saw what really happened to him while being held captive. Paul’s character was portrayed as if he’s just an instrument to showcase Gail as a loving mother and Getty Sr. as a rich guy who wouldn’t spend a dime even on his family’s sake. The film fell short of giving the viewers a reason to feel sympathetic to the character as we didn't see or hear his side of things.
A well-written film is not always inspired by the most exciting story to tell.
This film is a true testament to that.
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