Review of All the Money in the World (2017) by Connor S — 30 Jan 2018

The allegations against Kevin Spacey came at the worst time possible for All the Money in the World. With only a month to go before the premiere, one of the top stars got exposed as a serial sexual predator. Incredibly, director Ridley Scott jumped straight into an 11th hour reshoot session, managing to purge Spacey from this movie in one of the most commendable responses to the Me Too movement.

Amazingly, if you knew nothing about Spacey's involvement, you probably wouldn't even have noticed there were reshoots at all. Normally, movies in this situation have the tell-tale choppy editing, but I didn't notice anything wrong with the editing. On the contrary, there were plenty of seamless transitions between each scene. That a movie could go through so many last minute changes and emerge unscathed speaks to the work ethic and talent of Scott and his crew. Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music) likewise makes a perfect replacement for Spacey. I can see why Scott originally wanted to cast Plummer, because now I can't think of anyone else who could do his role.

All the Money in the World is also a visually striking movie. It's heavily reliant on shadows and sidelight, which makes for menacing moments when needed. Other times, it can needlessly obscure the characters, but it never blocks anything important from view. Even more striking is the world of John Paul Getty. His property is adorned with intricate Victorian decor and cluttered with all manner of expensive artwork, artifacts, and other status symbols. Complementing this is a soundtrack that is almost exclusively opera and classical music to let you know you're in the world of the outrageously rich. Yet every scene that features Getty is nearly devoid of color. While black and white film is rarely used except for creative effect, Gerry's scenes are so gray-corrected and flushed of hues that it might as well be black and white footage. Michele Williams' scenes on the other hand, while not as ostentatiously designed, are comparatively more vibrant. It's a subtle hint that even though Getty has all the money in the world, it can't pay for true meaning, fulfillment, or happiness.