All the Money in the World (2017)
…and Ridley Scott still misses.
Presentation:
I really wanted to love this film as I love the premise. The grandson of a billionaire is kidnapped to pay a ransom, only the grandfather doesn’t have the same principles. The visuals, lighting and grade are pleasantly modern, there seems to be no shortage of budget in the presentation. The settings are globally far and wide, and yet the film still manages to feel small in scope, scale and vision. I would also argue its blandness isn’t helped by the casting as Mark Wahlberg is distracting especially in comparison to Michelle Williams, whom is the saving grave of the film. Christopher Plummer also conveys the spot-on aging billionaire we’d expect, which should be given credit as it was original Kevin Spacey to play him before his scandals were made public. Luckily you can’t imagine anyone more perfect than Plummer for the role.
Conclusion:
It’s not that this is a bad film, it’s just tediously mediocre. This is tangible as it always feels like Ridley could make an epic film, but he chooses not too. All his recent films are the same, they feel soulless as though he only cares about the paycheck and wants to put in the least amount of effort but the maximum quantity of 3 films per year. Ridley is really a shadow of his former self. There aren’t many directors that have a complete change in their movies and even less that get worse over time. There’s no passion in the storytelling, it’s just scene after scene without bringing the script to life. A lukewarm film with compelling material that is passable enough to not warrant severe criticism.
Recommendations
A vapid love letter to Hollywood filmmaking.