All the Money in the World

Called in at the last moment to reshoot all of Kevin Spacey’s scenes, the flawless editing makes Christopher Plummer (Murder By Decree/The Silent Partner) the perfect choice to play the miserly billionaire J. Paul Getty, who suspects his grandson has perpetuated a self-abduction and refuses to pay $4 million dollars – much less the original asking price of $17 million – for his release. A borderline giallo thriller set in Italy in 1973, there are elements borrowed from The Candy Snatchers as well when negotiations stall and Paolo (Charlie Plummer)’s ear is severed and sent to a local police station. Gail (Michelle Williams), the exiled daughter-in-law, refuses to sit idly by while her drug-addled husband hobnobs with Mick Jagger in Marakesh, but is skeptical of Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg) the ex-CIA spy turned Getty “fixer” sent to assist her in negotiating her son’s release. Set in and around the same fountains and backstreets present in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, this view of immeasurable wealth unencumbered by moral direction resonates against Italian neo-realism of the past.

[R]