Review of All the Money in the World (2017) by Keithdow — 04 Jan 2018

Even Michelle Williams couldn't save 'All the Money in the World.' Based on the true story of the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, the script was promising enough to attract the likes of Ms. Williams, Kevin Spacey, Mark Wahlberg, and several other notable character actors. However, the framework ultimately proved to be overambitious, as evidenced by the non-linear structure that was abandoned halfway through the film and the unnecessarily long runtime.

Director Ridley Scott was put in a difficult situation as a result of Kevin Spacey's avalanche of sexual assault accusations, and handled it admirably by cutting the actor's scenes from the film. The role was then re-cast and re-shot with Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. My biggest problem with the movie was the cinematography. Most of the film was shot with a blue filter, and while this in itself isn't an issue, certain accommodations on set--such as specific lighting--need to be made. This obviously didn't happen with 'All the Money in the World,' and as a result, countless scenes were drearily flat, if not entirely washed out.