All the Money in the World (2017)

Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg
Runtime: 132 minutes

Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 8/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10 

Verdict: "All the Money in the World" is Ridley Scott's second project that came out in the year of 2017, after "Alien: Covenant". It focuses on the true story of John Paul Getty III's abduction in the early 1970s, and his mother's attempts to convince his billionaire grandfather to pay the ransom demanded for his release.

Much like most movies based on real events, Scott's interpretation of the event slightly differs from the actual story, and this dramatization, in my opinion, was the picture's biggest liability. Those scenes were sloppily written, obvious, and messed with the organic flow of events depicted. Having said that, and apart from some editing flaws I noticed, everything else was done beautifully. Dariusz Wolski's cinematography was excellent and added a lot to the experience, as were Mark Wahlberg and especially Michelle Williams' performances. The movie famously also had its share of controversy. Kevin Spacey was initially cast as J. Paul Getty and had shot all of his scenes before allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced, pushing Ridley Scott to reshoot them a month before its release. Christopher Plummer stepped in and finished the job in only 8 days, which at his age is an achievement of its own, and absolutely nailed it, grabbing a well deserved Oscar nomination along the way.

I don't know if Kevin Spacey's scandal is responsible for some of the issues I had with the film, and I'll probably never know. Nevertheless, "All the Money in the World" tells an incredibly interesting story and is elevated by excellent performances, especially by Christopher Plummer, who proved once again that talent is ageless. 

Final Grade: 7/10