Todo o Dinheiro do Mundo

Como é que nunca ninguém filmou este clássico antes? Um drama bem escrito e tradicional e elegantemente, à maneira de Scott, dirigido que é, antes de mais, uma sátira delicada sobre o carácter vazio do rico Getty conduzido pela fome do dinheiro. Ele é um vilão maior do que os sequestradores italianos na epicidade do seu carácter, reminiscente até do carácter de Lewis de Haverá Sangue. Qualquer que tenha sido o Spacey no seu papel, a intenção original de Ridley de elencar Plummer foi uma boa escolha, este veterano tem mímica e gesticulação famosas! É apenas no segundo plano, embora com filmagens no espaço maior, que se trata duma peça de género emocionante, dominada pela contraparte de Getty — a desesperada, mas forte mãe do sequestrado, interpretada por excelente Michelle Williams. Hitchcock teria ficado encantado com o seu penteado e a sua expressão aterrorizada. O mais caro Wahlberg está aqui só para completar o elenco. Quanto menos se sabe sobre a história real, mais se desfruta dela. (24/01/2018)

All the Money in the World is an inspiringly problematic film. It starts out like Le Dolce Vita and ends like Citizen Kane, but I can’t compare anything that happens in between with anything else. Though it contains a number of scenes that are reminiscent of a procedural thriller with detailed mapping of a certain working process as a classic dramatic structure that should draw viewers in and keep them in suspense with well-though-out dosing of information, the film is rather unsatisfying due to its muddled (especially with the constant jumping between various places, times and characters in the first half) and, at the same, very straightforward narrative, disjointed rhythm and cyclical yet somewhat monotonous structure with repetitive situations. ___ Paul's abduction is mainly a pretence for creating situations in which something that you normally wouldn’t buy with money (trust, attention, maternal love) is monetised, and for discussions about greed and a person’s worth. The tone and urgency of these scenes, which usually attempt to dialectically take into account the perspectives of both parties, change as the stakes rise and the probability of the son returning to his mother decreases. The theme of capitalism’s impact on interpersonal relationships is developed throughout the film, conceived here on a purely transactional level (it pays to invest in someone, but not in someone else). It isn’t so much about the relationships themselves or the development of the characters, most of whom (with the exception of the mother) are merely caricatures. At the same time, however, it’s not true that it isn’t about them at all, which would have paradoxically benefitted the film. ___ All the Money in the World is a dramatically strangely unbalanced work that with its structure draws our attention more to its creators’ arguments than to the characters and their suffering. I’m not sure if that was the intention, but I enjoyed the film as a cynical, non-moralising disputation on the power of money. 65% (26/01/2018)

I didn't believe in it too much, but in the end I'm surprised how much I enjoyed the film. Ridley Scott's direction is slick and precise, Mark Wahlberg is classically good and Charlie Plummer was solid, though I think Kevin Spacey would have been better. Quite suspenseful towards the end and there was a twist, so I'm satisfied. 70% (12/04/2018)

The great premise and the interesting potential in the storyline is exploited only halfway. Ridley Scott, of course, gives the viewer a refined vintage piece with gorgeous filters and lavish 1970s production design (Roma rulez) – he's always been a master of that, and even at his advanced age, he's not letting down his standards. There's no shortage of his creative trademarks either – e.g. what would a Scott flick be without a scene with falling snow? The pace is a bit weaker, sometimes unbalanced, and the plot jumps around and often omits important points that the viewer is forced to assume. But Ridley did hit the right balance with the bad guys. On the one hand, the menacing Ndrangheta, the Calabrian mafia (very hardcore), on the other the uncompromising and bankrupt billionaire Getty, played in the end by Christopher Plummer, who delivers a brilliant performance. Maybe it will mature with time, but at the moment the form and one good figure is not enough to make me happy. (25/03/2018)

A retro story shot in a retro way. The tempo is therefore definitely slower than in other contemporary or newer films, and yet the story is interesting and the atmosphere suitably weighty. We can only imagine how Kevin Spacey would have acted (I looked forward to seeing him because I really like masks), and there is nothing left but to acknowledge or cheer over Christopher Plummer's performance. His Getty may not have gotten much space, but still he is so distinctive in every second that he is the most important character, whatever the intention of the creators was. Ridley Scott has still got it, and I consider this film almost full-blown compensation for The Counselor. (26/01/2018)

What fascinated me most about the film were the instructions on how to live a life of wealth. Well, I’ve always washed my laundry myself, so I guess the problem is the missing phone booth. On the one hand, the film got me interested (retro vibe, a stingy grandpa, a story based on true events that forced me to do some googling). On the other hand, I must admit that I didn't care much for the fates of the people involved and the filmmakers somehow failed to get under my skin. (06/09/2018)