An enthralling crime caper All the Money in the World (R13)
133 mins ★★★★ 1⁄2
This cinematic dramatisation of one of the 1970s’ most fabled criminal cases is now almost better known for its 2017 production dramas than its real-life plot. The story of billionaire tycoon J. Paul Getty and the grandson who was kidnapped by the Sicilian Mafia was scheduled for release in America just before Christmas last year when, a matter of weeks earlier, star Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual assault.
Many productions would stall; some might push on through the holiday season and suffer box-office losses before disappearing in ignominy. But director Ridley Scott, aged 80 and showing no signs of retiring, simply tossed Spacey’s work onto the cuttingroom floor and hired Christopher Plummer to reshoot the Getty Snr scenes. His film came out a staggering three days later than planned.
So what, you ask. All that matters is whether the film is any good.
The thing is, Scott’s film is extremely good. Manchester by the Sea‘s Michelle Williams gets top billing, playing the woman who must negotiate not with the kidnappers, but with her former father-in-law to pay the US$17 million demanded, and save her son’s life. As always (with literally no exception), Williams is brilliant – her new-money, East Coast clipped accent belying a mother who will relinquish all claim to fortune for the sake of her family. She is assisted by Mark Wahlberg’s perfectly good ex-CIA ‘‘troubleshooter’’, Fletcher Chase, who is initially more aligned to Getty’s way of thinking when it comes to compassion versus cash.
But what’s interesting is that Plummer, who shot his scenes in a mere nine days, is sensational as the evil magnate who refuses to accede to the Sicilians’ demands. While I have the highest regard for Spacey’s talent as an actor, I have never seen him play avuncular with convincing sincerity. But Plummer manages genuine moments of warmth before curling his lip into cruel, uncaring titan.
Well-paced, beautifully photographed and exquisite in its Italian production design, this crime caper is enthralling in every aspect of its depiction. It’s also a valuable warning about the perils of greed.
– Sarah Watt