Top dollar
ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD HOSTILES
Director Ridley Scott has made his Citizen Kane with this exceptional real-life kidnap thriller. Orson Welles’ 1941 masterpiece was a scorching evisceration of the soul-rotting nature of obscene wealth – and Scott follows in the maestro’s footsteps with this enthralling portrait of the oil magnate J Paul Getty.
When his grandson is kidnapped in Italy, the wealthiest man in the world refuses to pay the $17million ransom, a staggering sum in 1973. This leaves Getty’s estranged and penniless former daughter-in-law to try and negotiate her son’s release.
Michelle Williams is terrific as Gail and deservedly receives top billing. Adverse headlines were generated when original star Kevin Spacey became embroiled in the Hollywood sexual assault scandal. Even though filming had finished, his part was hurriedly and successfully reshot with the veteran Christopher Plummer replacing him in the role of Getty.
And it’s impossible to imagine Spacey could have been better than Plummer, who delivers as a monstrous and intriguingly unsympathetic figure.
It’s also important to not to underestimate the strength of Mark Wahlberg’s performance as a former CIA operative, employed by Getty to assist Gail.
Fittingly, there is Rolls-royce craftsmanship in all departments, and we’re swept elegantly along by Scott’s accomplished driving of the story. He confidently sculpts a typically fabulous visual texture as he moves fluidly from the US to Africa and Europe. There’s a fist-in-themouth ear-cutting scene to rival the infamous one from Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. And Scott has the confidence to slow the pace to create tension as the clock ticks down.
Scott, Plummer and Williams have all received prestigious Golden Globe nominations and a run to the Academy Awards is in their sights.
Scott may go one better than Welles and win a long-coveted and deserved best director Oscar – and that’s something all the money in the world can’t buy.
Cert 15 Running time 132 minutes
Cert 15 Running time 133 minutes
Ride the wild frontier with Christian Bale as he stars in this solidly handsome yet creaking Western.
The Welshman stars as Blocker, an exhausted shell of a cavalryman ordered to escort a Native American chief and his family from New Mexico to Montana. They are long-time foes with unresolved grievances.
Along with him is Rosamund Pike’s grief-stricken frontierswoman. Despite her demented dirt-scratching performance, Pike’s flawless complexion and perfect teeth are in distracting contrast to the admirably authentic production design. Plus, the casting of Brits is at odds with the insular nature of the film. For all it’s well-staged gunfights in the epic landscape, the script speaks inwardly to the US about its violent history.
Writer, director and producer Scott Cooper’s previous films such as Black Mass and Out of the Furnace have similarly explored US economic and social division.
The lack of humour and ponderous pace make this grand journey a belligerent experience for outsiders.