[8]

Ridley Scott (The Martian, Alien) directs the true-life tale of the 1973 Getty kidnapping. After masked men whisk 16-year-old John Paul Getty III off the streets of Rome, his mother tries to get the ransom money from the boy’s grandfather, John Paul Getty — the richest man in the entire world at that time. But the oil tycoon won’t pay the ransom and the kidnappers threaten to mutilate the boy if the money isn’t received soon. Getty sends his own hired gun, Fletcher Chace, to investigate and retrieve the boy. Chace teams up with the boy’s mother and the two find themselves racing the clock, caught between two steel-willed adversaries — the terrorists and the elder Getty.

All the Money in the World hits the ground running and never lets up on the tension or suspense. The film spends a good deal of time with the boy and his kidnappers, which keeps the stakes alive and omnipresent. Michelle Williams is good as the mother, Gail Harris, though I was never quite sure if she was acting through her accent or just doing a really good impersonation. Mark Wahlberg services the role of Fletcher Chace well enough, but the most compelling acting comes from Christopher Plummer’s turn as John Paul Getty. In early scenes, Plummer gives the character a bit of whimsy and warmth, but icy-cold resolve takes over soon enough, and by the end, he makes you sorry for the monster he becomes. Charlie Plummer (no relation to Christopher) is commendable in the role of the grandson, and Romain Duris gives surprising depth to the role of the main kidnapper. With Timothy Hutton.