CHICAGO– A bitter and old rich man won’t take responsibility for the co-opting of something he is directly connected to. Is this the Trump administration or “All the Money in the World”? Christopher Plummer portrays mogul J. Paul Getty, trying to steer clear of his grandson’s kidnapping.
 Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
The film, in the end, might be known more for the casting switch of Kevin Spacey as J. Paul to Christopher Plummer, eight weeks before the scheduled opening. When Spacey was ostracized for alleged sexual misconduct, director Ridley Scott remarkably assembled the rest of the cast, re-shot scenes with Plummer as Getty and made the opening date deadline. The film doesn’t skip a beat in this reassembling, nor does it do any more that just relate the case of the kidnapping, and the elder Getty’s reluctance to give up a thin dime to help his relative. Although a true story, the captivity itself was at a TV movie level, while the immorality of wealth could have been better exploited.
J. Paul Getty the Third (Charlie Plummer) is a randy teenager in Rome, when he is kidnapped by a group of various criminals in 1973. His mother Gail (Michelle Williams) is distraught, especially when the kidnappers want $17 million dollars from the funds of her ex-father-in-law J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer).
The story of the family Petty is told in flashbacks, as the elder J. Paul is depicted as a ruthless businessman, and the richest man in history. His family connections are virtually nil, and he feels no responsibility for providing the ransom for his grandson’s release. He does put a Fixer (Mark Wahlberg) on the case to help Gail, but the ultimate decision for resolution lies with the old miser.
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “All the Money in the World”
J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) in ‘All the Money in the World’
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “All the Money in the World”
