All the Money in the World

It’s as realized a thriller as you are likely to find, not only in the precision of its performances, but in its evocative use of location (Rome, London), its period detail (especially Williams’ clothing) and the tension of the younger Getty’s months-long captivity.

A smart, eminently watchable thriller, taut and stylish, and Plummer is remarkably good in it.

All The Money In The World is not perfect; there is a touch of naïveté and stereotyping in its depiction of the malign Italians with their one, redemptive nice-guy gangster. But with the help of Plummer’s tremendous villain-autocrat performance, Ridley Scott gives us a very entertaining parable about money and what it can’t buy.

The film shows—and says plainly, at one point—that people with extreme wealth are so divorced from reality that they become almost another species. Yet it doesn’t fully explore the weirdness of that, the chilling tragedy of it. Instead, Scott has made simply a competent thriller that dazzles only in the ingeniousness of its lightning-quick and proficient re-staging.

The muddled but icily engaging All The Money In The World is a thriller packed with ideas which director Ridley Scott only sporadically delineates with the same vividness as he does his stylish compositions. And yet, this true-life tale of the kidnapping of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty’s grandson maintains its hold, bluntly outlining how the desperate clamour for wealth poisons all those caught up in its frenzy.

A better title might have been “All the Movies in the World.” We get a thriller, of sorts, and a crime movie, of sorts (Romain Duris, as a kidnapper, gives the most appealing performance). It’s also a morality tale crossed with family melodrama.

As released, All the Money in the World is by and large a conspicuously manufactured thriller that moves between manipulative psych-outs.

Well, if anyone needed proof as to whether or not Ridley Scott still had "it" as a director then here it is. This movie was an absolute triumph from beginning to end. He took a sombre subject and wove it into a story that effortlessly flowed from scene to scene, skilfully guiding the audience through the emotional turmoil endured by a terrified mother trying to rescue her kidnapped son. The main characters were well portrayed and had plenty of screen time. The cast is superb, I think this is the best role I've ever seen Mark Wahlberg in. Michelle Williams, as you would expect, delivers a robust and heartfelt performance, really getting under the skin of this misfortunate and desperate woman. The real star, however, has to be Christopher Plummer who delivers an astounding turn as the billionaire John Paul Getty. At 88, his work here is nothing short of inspiring. The essence of the character he puts forth imbues simultaneous feelings of both hatred and pity. We get a real sense of a strong, intelligent man confined to an ageing, frail body still striving to understand much of life's frustrating minutiae. Overall, this film is one of Scott's best in many years, it's excellently delivered and definitely deserves all the praise it's currently getting. Highly recommended.

A stately, if often rote experience that should nevertheless be commended for a few reasons. Christopher Plummer does great work as the greedy magnate at the heart of this tale, especially given the rushed circumstances with which he had to be filmed. The rest of the cast is also pretty good - Wahlberg coasts and seems a bit out of place, but Williams is typically great and the Italian cast of character actors and extras helps anchor the film in place. Ridley Scott guides this thing capably, and, while it's not at the top of his oeuvre, the viewer never forgets that they're watching the work of a skilled artisan. The scope he applies to the story helps, in particular the inner workings of the kidnappers and their increasing desperation. Despite never fully feeling connected to the experience, I at least appreciated what I was watching.

THe acting was great and in general it is a nice movie, but nothing great. I mean I read what happened in reality and I think this is depicted too mildly, like it couldve been much more of a thriller while here it mostly shows how greed can make people act dumb.

After 35 minutes I turned this movie off because it was boring and not the thriller I thought it would be.

I took one for the team. Purchased this on AmazonPrime Monday on double double discount. Avoid this film. If you'd like the whole story of the Getty Kidnapping, well acted and beautifully photographed, watch Trust on FX. This film is poorly written and directed.