88-year-old Christopher Plummer is sensational in Ridley Scott’s drama “All the Money in the World”. But it almost didn’t happen. That’s right. A month before its release, a scandal involving Kevin Spacey broke, and Scott had to re-shoot his scenes with Plummer instead to avoid a box-office disaster. So yes, kudos to Scott for pulling off the impossible. And kudos to Plummer for delivering a terrific performance as billionaire John Paul Getty, a Scrooge-like figure (one might even compare him to Charles Foster Kane from “Citizen Kane”), who, in 1973, refused to pay the ransom of his 16-year-old grandson, who was kidnapped in Rome. His mom, played by Michelle Williams, isn’t willing to give up, which leads to a series of intriguing events. Like many of Ridley Scott’s features, “All the Money in the World” is gripping and exceptionally well made. There are a few bumps along the way, but I can’t dismiss any movie that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last seconds. And Plummer, giving it his best shot, is reason enough to recommend this tightly scripted family affair. What more can you ask for? As Getty himself would put it: “Nothing”.
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