All The Money In The World

This review may contain spoilers!

Ridley Scott presents a very powerful, metaphorical biopic; it's just a shame that it doesn't feel like there's much to talk about in the film. I would give All The Money In The World a 6.5/10.

This film is a tense crawl from start to finish, suspense builds as we're left to wonder if the young Getty hostage will escape or if he'll be killed by his captors. I really enjoyed the particular attention paid towards the themes around wealth, greed and power; the use of classic Roman and Greek imagery to depict our society's deification of wealth was a clever element of the plot and one of the aspects I enjoyed the most. The score for the film only heightens the tone, getting you right on the edge of your seat for many of those tense scenes.

Michelle Williams, who played Gail Harris, is a remarkable protagonist for the film; this is a role that demands a bold depiction of resolve, distress and determination in the heart of a crisis. Romain Duris, who played Cinquanta, is remarkably charismatic for a role that starts as a rather rough and rugged antagonist; the kindness and desperation Duris portrays shows a vulnerable side to a character you would otherwise have written off as a hardened criminal. Charlie Shotwell, who played John Paul Getty III (Age 7), is a remarkable young performer who I'd expect great things from after this film; Shotwell delivers lines in a way that lend his role an air of wisdom and cunning that wouldn't normally befit his character's age. Marco Leonardi, who played Mammoliti, is a very intimidating presence the moment he appears onscreen; Leonardi has a quiet way of generating threat into a scene which is what makes him such a great antagonist for this film.

However, the best performance came from Christopher Plummer, who played J. Paul Getty. This is immediately one of those roles that you love to hate; as Plummer spins a character who generates the facade of being a family man while playing the most despicable tycoon you could watch onscreen. Plummer has a very kindly way of interacting with those he sees as being on his side, confiding in them or trading in rich, metaphor-heavy dialogues. However, there's a dark glee to Getty that Plummer manages eerily well; the need to gain more wealth - seize it by any means necessary is quite the driving force behind this character. This is a malicious, spiteful old man who is closer to the things he owns than the people who are closest to him.

The problem with biopics is that you have to be sure there is enough to talk about in the narrative, otherwise the plot drags on a bit or grows boring. This is a problem that All The Money In The World had as many of the scenes felt similar or there were great lengths of time in which the narrative lost its sense of direction. The cinematography was dull to look at, the dark lighting and grey camera shots made this a very colourless and lifeless film aesthetically. The editing was a very slow cut and didn't show much craftsmanship at all, the pacing was poorly affected by this making the feature interesting but ultimately, dull.

Mark Wahlberg, who played Fletcher Chase, has proven himself to be a fine actor in dramas and comedies within recent years; however, Wahlberg barely bothers to act in this film and you really don't feel like he's put much effort into his performance here. Charlie Plummer, who played John Paul Getty III, is a role that is very camp to watch, especially in a film such as this; Plummer's sultry introduction at the start of this film is in conflict with his rather lacklustre performance when playing a hostage. Andrew Buchan, who played John Paul Getty II, is really only in this film to set the important characters up; Buchan groggily acts his way through his scenes, leaving no lasting impression and failing to show any chemistry with Williams or Plummer. Andrea Piedimonte Bodini, who played Corvo, really falls flat as the law enforcement character in this film; he's quite meek to watch and you never really feel like the police are particularly important to the narrative.