Movies

Film Review: All the Money in the World

8 January 2018

By Lauren E. White

2.5/5

All the Money in the World hit cinemas in the UK with a head-start after garnering much press attention towards the latter end of 2017 following its abandonment of shamed Hollywood star Kevin Spacey. Director Ridley Scott cut Spacey from the film weeks before it was released and re-filmed all of his parts with Christopher Plummer so that the film could be released with everyone having a clear conscience.

Sadly, the extreme effort put into the re-filming of All the Money in the World did not pay off and the much-anticipated Hollywood blockbuster is a let-down. Based on the true story of the world’s first billionaire, J Paul Getty’s (Christopher Plummer) 16-year-old grandson, Paul, being abducted in Rome with his kidnappers demanding $17 million, Scott’s biopic trails until the final quarter with Getty refusing to pay up.

Michelle Williams and Mark Whalberg

There is no significant thrill or drama, which is unusual for a film starring Mark Wahlberg, until the very end when Getty’s grandson has his ear chopped off and Whalberg’s character, playing Getty’s advisor, basically tells the billionaire he is scum for refusing to pay the ransom to fee for his grandson.

Too much of All the Money in the World is mechanical, and one does wonder if this is because of the rushed filming of Plummer’s scenes in which Spacey originally filmed. This, alongside the fact that it’s impossible to not imagine Spacey in the role, makes the film seemingly shoddy and drawn out. Plummer’s performance is strong, though, and he certainly does it justice, but overall there is something missing. The film dodges a point and doesn’t strike a chord. It says a lot that my favourite thing about All the Money in the World was the clothes worn by Michelle Williams, who portrays Gail Getty, mother of Paul.

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