Jeri Jacquin
Coming to theatres for Christmas from director Ridley Scott
and TriStar Pictures is the true story of greed and kidnapping when you have
ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD.
John Getty II (Andrew Buchan) and wife Gail (Michelle
Williams) are raising their children under the shadow of being related to the
richest man in the world, J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer). When their finances
become difficult, Gail suggests that John write a letter to his father and mend
their relationship.
To their surprise, Getty sends a telegram asking them to come
to Rome and for
John to work with him. The older Getty takes a liking to his grandson Paul (Charlie Plummer) and
encourages him to be a part of the family business and spending time learning
about their history.
As the years pass, John falls hard into drugs and Paul is
brought back home to Gail. The relationship with the elder Getty is back to
where it was before and they all have little contact with him. Paul has a wild
side and he tends to come and go as he pleases and Gail doesn’t know how to
deal with it.
One night, as Paul walks the streets of Rome , in an instant he is kidnapped. Gail receives
a telephone call informing her of it and that she is to pay a hefty ransom.
Reaching out to Getty, she does not get the response of a grandfather concerned
about his grandson but instead, the response of a penny pinching old man.
Getty does one thing however, brings in Fletcher Chase (Mark
Wahlberg) to work with Gail in trying to locate who might have Paul. Working
with the Italian police, Chase isn’t sure he is getting the whole story about
the kidnapping or the family.
Paul deals with the kidnappers, especially Cinquanta (Romain
Duris) who believe that the ransom will be paid. Phone call after phone call
begins to anger them as Gail tries to explain that it is not she who has the
money.
This is what happens when greed meets a man with an iron
will because one way or another – everyone is going to pay!
Williams as Gail is a mother who knows the dynamics of the
family but isn’t about to let her son die. It would be easy to see that she
might be considered a tad cold but I also understand her more than I thought I
would. As each phone calls comes in and each new threat is given, Williams
thought process is quite clear.
Wahlberg as Chase is a man who clearly has worked with Getty
on other issues but this one is different. Trying to understand why Getty just
plain refuses to participate in what is clearly a serious matter stuns Chase.
Wahlberg’s character begins to invest more of himself in what is happening and
doesn’t care what his employer thinks. He puts on his usual badass and makes it
known that what is right is right – no matter how much money you have.
Duris as Cinquanta is a kidnapper with a weird conscience.
Between a rock and a hard place, it is clear he knows the difference between
right and wrong. I’m not defending the guy in the slightest but Duris gives the
character his moments.
There are two winners in this film and both of them have the
last name of Plummers. First, Charlie Plummer as Paul is a young man who was
going through life with a strange chip on his shoulder. There is a disconnect
with his parents that just has him feeling as if nothing can touch his free
spirit. He is also smarter than his kidnappers give him credit for. Plummer’s
performance is everything I’d expect and still pleasantly surprised.
Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty is absolute and
stunning perfection! From the moment he is on screen, Plummer portrays the
richest man in the world with such a range of non-emotion emotion. What I mean
to say is when he is angry you know he is although he’s not screaming, when he
doesn’t care about something it is clear that it’s not on his to-do list and
when it comes to money he clearly can talk about it with such believeability
that it’s jaw dropping. Plummer has always been on my list of performers to
watch but in ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD he deserves an Oscar!
Other cast include: Timothy Hutton as Oswald Hinge, Marco
Leonardi as Mammoliti, Giuseppe Bonifati as Giovanni Iacovoni, Nicolas
Vaporidis as Il Tamia, Andrea Bodini as Corvo, and Guglielmo Favilla as
Piccolino.
ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD is a journey through this family’s
story in the middle of a kidnapping heard round the world. I knew about the young
boy being taken but there is so much more than I didn’t know. That’s what makes
this film even more interesting is that it kept my attention with one jaw drop
after another.
It is an interesting look inside a family that proves money
doesn’t buy happiness. The performances are brilliant but, as I said, it is the
two Plummer’s that steal the entire film. Director Ridley Scott delivers with
solid storytelling and gives us a thriller, drama and suspenseful look deeper
inside a true story.
In the end – J. Paul Getty had a fortune and everyone else
paid the price!
