Movie Review—All the Money in the World

All the Money in the World
Theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O'Connell              

All the Money in the World. Released: Dec. 2017. Runtime: 132 mins. MPAA Rating: R for language, some violence, disturbing images and brief drug content. 

It was said that oil magnate J. Paul Getty (1892-1976) was not just the richest living man but the richest man who had ever lived. He was also notoriously frugal. He even had a pay telephone booth installed in his mansion for guests to use in calling out. Getty's frugality, however, did not preclude him from being a great collector of art and antiques. Yet, apparently, it did preclude him from paying ransom for his favorite grandchild (out ofr 14), John Paul, when 16-year-old Paul, as he was known, was kidnapped in Italy in 1973. Director Ridley Scott tells the story of this kidnapping in All the Money in the World. 

Paul (Charlie Plummer) is seized off a Rome street by a scruffy band of thugs affiliated with Calabria's version of the Mafia and taken to a hideout in a rural area. A $17 million ransom is then demanded from the Getty family. J. Paul (Christopher Plummer) refuses to pay, saying that paying would simply expose his other grandchildren to possible abduction. An argument can, of course, be made in favor of Getty's stated position. (The U.S. government, for example, says that it will not pay ransom to terrorists who kidnap Americans.) However, Christopher Plummer's canny portrayal of Getty in the film suggests that the tycoon's motivation was either simple miserliness or, perhaps, an attachment to “the art of the deal” greater than familial attachment.

But young Paul's devoted, strong-willed mother, Gail Harris (Michelle Williams), has a history of choosing children over fortune. Through flashbacks we learn that she and Paul's father, who is drug addled, are divorced and that she rejected any alimony in exchange for full custody of her children in the divorce settlement. The wrenching irony in her devotion to her children, however, is that in the kidnap crisis she lacks the means to pay her son's ransom. 

Gail desperately attempts to persuade J. Paul to pay the ransom before time runs out as the kidnappers become increasingly more determined, brutal, and volatile. But the old man will not be moved. As the advertising tagline for the film puts it: “J. Paul Getty had a fortune. Everyone else paid the price.” Gail “pays the price” by being excoriated in the media, with many believing Gail to be rich herself and blaming her for the refusal to pay the ransom. 

After a while J. Paul does ask Chase (Mark Wahlberg), a former CIA operative who has become a Getty oil negotiator, to involve himself in the case by attempting to locate Paul's whereabouts and secure his release—and also to keep an eye on Gail to see that she does not get too much “out of control.” As it develops, however, Chase finds himself allied with Gail as he ascertains where Paul is being held. A police raid there does not, however, free Paul. The youth has been sold to a new, more brutal, and more organized element of organized crime. 

The new group lowers the ransom demand to $4 million. J. Paul finally decides to contribute to the ransom, but only $1 million—the maximum amount that he can claim as tax deductible. But when the kidnappers cut off one of young Paul's ears and mail it to the media, old Getty finally relents and gives the full ransom money to Gail and Chase. The two follow the kidnappers' instructions about the money, but a suspenseful situation results, ironically, when Paul, not knowing what is going on, escapes from the kidnappers after being passive for most of his captivity and is pursued by them with the intention of killing him. 

The film's story is fascinating and the performances by the leads, backed up by a solid Italian supporting cast, are both compelling and nuanced. For some reason, however, Ridley Scott has chosen to have the film shot mostly in a kind of murky palette, with muted colors just this side of black-and-white but lacking strong contrast. Perhaps the idea is to convey a sense of moral ambiguity. In any case, All the Money in the World is well worth the price of admission.

“Footnotes” to the film: (1) After initially considering Christopher Plummer, Jack Nicholson, and Gary Oldman for the role of J. Paul Getty, Ridley Scott chose Kevin Spacey. However, when a sexual harassment scandal involving Spacey arose shortly before the film's release date, Scott (age 80) decided to rebuild sets and reshoot all 22 scenes in which Spacey (age 58) appeared, replacing him with Christopher Plummer (age 88). Astonishingly, the reshooting was accomplished in only nine days. (2) Surprisingly, Christopher Plummer and Charlie Plummer are not related. (3) Ransom! (1956), starring Glenn Ford, and its remake, Ransom (1996), starring Mel Gibson, are films in which a family head refuses to pay a ransom but instead offers the amount of it as a bounty for information about the kidnappers if the victim is not returned alive and well. The two are interesting attempts to get out of the dilemma postulated by J. Paul Getty when he refuses to pay the ransom demanded for his grandson.