Simply Perfect

From my favorite movies..

Fantastic!

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

I think I may have had my expectations set a little too high when I watched this. Or maybe, as with several of Ridley Scott's films, I need to re-watch it a year or two later to fully enjoy it without intrusive knowledge about things that happened during the filming.I had heard that the actors were not told about the alien bursting from John Hurt's chest, so I spent a large portion of my first viewing of Alien waiting for that scene, and couldn't really remember much that happened afterward. I was hyper conscious of Oliver Reed's death during the filming of Gladiator, and the fact that several of his scenes featured discarded shots of his face computer-mapped onto the face of a stand-in, so I was unable to properly enjoy that film until the Special Edition came out on DVD.So, inevitably, I watched All The Money In The World with an eye to Chris Plummer's hastily re-shot scenes (following Kevin Spacey's much publicised deletion), rather than the immersion I generally like to employ in the watching of a film. The net result was that I can't remember much about it other than Plummer's scenes - all of which were very good, by the way.I was left with a lasting impression that it had been a good film, and one that I would definitely like to see again, as it depicts the thoroughly bizarre and gripping true story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (father of Balthazar Getty) and the refusal of his father (played by Plummer) to pay the ransom, despite being a billionaire worth over 9 billion dollars. A little light Googling provides an excellent insight into the Getty dynasty, and the crazy events that surrounded them.I'm sure, based on the calibre of the director and cast, that this film did an excellent job depicting the kidnapping and aftermath. I just can't seem to remember much detail, other than the scenes with Christopher Plummer and a few other random moments.So who knows? Maybe it was just a forgettable film that failed to leave a lasting impression. But based on previous experience, I'll watch it again a year from now and totally love every minute of it. I can't wait!

This movie is one of old classy types where tension is built around dialogues and the predicament characters find themselves in. Christopher plummer is riveting as a greedy billionaire who thinks about evading tax in every walk of his life and want to be in control of everything he sees. Michelle williams is terrific as a caring mother and not the usual dumb potrayals you normally find in these kind of movies. She is smart, witty and sees hope even in darker moments . The scene where she asks "Do they want me to cry?" potrays the real emotion people go through in situations like these. Mark wahlberg is more of a cliched character where you can predict pretty much what he will do. There are intense scenes in second half where the kid acted really well and you felt the pain character went through. Even though its a serious film, you might find humor in traces which made sure its an enjoyable watch.

When the grandson of billionaire John Paul Getty was kidnapped in 1973, you would imagine it might have been easier to get the ransom out of a man who had some two billion dollars to his name. Based on real-life events, it's hard not to be bewildered by the immeasurable greed of John Paul Getty, realized via the unquestionably excellent Christopher Plummer, which says something truly special about the actor. Famously he came to the project during reshoots after Kevin Spacey was edited out following the revelations about the actor's history of sexual abuse, and Plummer pulls it out of the bag without it seeming phoned in. While Plummer does save the movie from its potential fall from grace after the Spacey controversy, All The Money In The World proves one thing; Ridley Scott is still as much of a powerhouse director as he was when he was bringing us polarizing films like Alien and Blade Runner. In the six weeks before its release, Scott recast the role of John Paul Getty, organized the reshoots, had cast members flown around reshooting and had it all edited and polished in time for its release.Why is it worth knowing this? Well much like how there's an additional fascination with films such as The Revenant, Apocalypse Now and even Star Wars: A New Hope knowing the tough and challenging shoots they persevered through, we can also stand dumbfounded at Scott's efficiency and skill as a director. Aside from some questionable editing choices at the start of the film resulting in a plodding pace, it plays out seamlessly. Whilst All The Money In The World is not groundbreaking or even amongst Scott's best work, the film does have raise significant questions (frankly unavoidable considering it's a film about John Paul Getty) about money, it's control over people's lives and how it can affect society. The film brings these questions to light through the characters of John Getty and his former daughter-in-law Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) reflected in the often cold and cynical cinematography, giving the film an almost artificial feel as if mirroring the values of capitalist society and John Getty himself.Despite this cynicism, there are some standout performances. Romain Duris, who plays one of the kidnappers and Plummer do fine work to humanize the more disagreeable characters, helping us as an audience empathize with their point of view. All The Money In The World treads lightly in the footsteps of films such as Wall Street and The Wolf of Wall Street but strips back the character studies and almost lavish allure for a slightly more reserved and theatrical approach. While it may fail in producing meaningful insight into John Paul Getty, it succeeds in being a captivating crime drama.

I hated this film. Michelle Williams butchered it. She was awful. It was hard to get through for me. It was boring and doesn't keep your attention. The kid was also stupid. Just bad acting I thought.