Can we please give Ridley Scott an Oscar already? Not only is All the Money in the World one of the best films of this year. Not only were its expensive reshoots a potentially disastrous gamble that should never have worked. Scott celebrated his 80th birthday less than a month ago. How does that not earn a director all the praise in the world?
For those of you unfamiliar with the true-crime tale of the Gettys, the story here concerns the kidnapping of young Paul Getty in Rome, 1973. His kidnappers demand millions of dollars in ransom from his wealthy family, specifically his billionaire grandfather, J. Paul Getty. Through flashbacks, we learn that Paul's mother Gail had divorced her husband (Getty Sr.'s son) and rejected his money, leaving her unable to pay the ransom and forced to negotiate with her tyrannical tycoon father-in-law. He publicly refuses to pay any ransom money, and so Gail and a former CIA operative take on the task of hunting down Paul's whereabouts to rescue him. One by one, the lives of everyone involved being to unravel, either because of their lust for money, enslavement to money, or rejection of money. As they all learn eventually, all the money in the world cannot save them from the pain it brings.
It's not a terribly surprising or unpredictable story -- at least not to anyone familiar with the crime -- but that doesn't stop Scott from making it a riveting motion picture. It's edge-of-your-seat thrilling at every turn, with deliberate and heavy-handed stylization both on screen and behind the camera. Frenetic editing, sometimes dizzying camerawork, and some of the most gorgeous cinematography this year (from a personal favorite, Dariusz Wolski) all effectively compel you to invest yourself in the movie. This is storytelling at its very finest, by a group of artists at the top of their craft.
Of course, everyone will be talking about Christopher Plummer, whose presence as Getty Sr. isn't seen so much as felt. The character is a force of nature, deceptively eccentric in his old age and brutally vicious in protecting his money. There's a bitter tragedy to his character that the film explores with comic tension, a sort of satirical view of the capitalist man on top that drives a stake into the heart of money-obsessed America. What do you do, after all, when your wealth has made your children and grandchildren targets for torturous ransom? Do you give in and invite further blackmail? What do you do when your sole treasure in life -- treasure itself -- is powerless to give you the love of a family, safety and security in a world as desperate for coin as you? Plummer's brilliant reading of the character breathes compelling strength to the film, all the more impressive because of his impossibly brief preparation time before a mere week of reshoots.
But even more amazing for me was Michelle Williams as Gail. Her part is a pretty thankless one, but she steals each and every scene. Her movement and voice work stuns as it provokes. I've rarely seen someone look so uncomfortably stilted and polished in a movie when it's so appropriate for the character. Between her clipped accent and tense body, I never once disbelieved that she came from money and so absolutely resented it. I never once doubted that she had to train oh so carefully to "fit in" with the Getty family like a wretched Eliza Doolittle. And when the patriarch denies her the money to save her son, we can literally watch her poise and privilege melt off her furious figure. It's a transformative, transcendent performance from Williams, especially when contrasted with her recent turn in The Greatest Showman.
While the film resolves with an improbably brisk conclusion, it didn't bother me overmuch during the screening. Similarly, while the stereotypical Italian kidnappers are writ large and flat, and their victim is played by a less-than notable actor, their scenes are eminently watchable by virtue of solid editing and cinematography. But for me, the glory of this film lies with the artistry of Williams, Plummer, Wolski, and most of all Scott, who has proven that even troubled production runs are no excuse for pumping out bad movies. Let's just keep praying that we never lose him.
IMDb: All the Money in the World
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