1/23/18 - All The Money In The World (2017) - 6+/10

Surprisingly enjoyable, seeing as how I wasn’t expecting much and fairly unenthused with watching the film. But Scott rekindles a little bit of the old magic and delivers a strong, streamlined historic pseudo-thriller. Never particularly wowing, it is still a solid piece of Hollywood film-making.

Powerful and cultured performances from Williams and the Plummers. Williams drives the emotion, Charlie Plummer excels at grounding us and tightening the tension in his eyes, and Christopher Plummer sprinkles this cold but remarkable presence that keeps the entire train speeding ahead. Mark Wahlberg was satisfactory, carrying a little more weight than suited him, but his role wasn’t too beefy, so it was manageable. The story is quite engaging and the acting really carries the load. Christopher Plummer’s award love feels a little “stick it to the system”-ey to me, even though he does an excellent job with what he has, but I feel Williams was the strongest candidate here. It’s too bad she was overlooked for red carpet love.

The pacing and production details shone brightly. Be it the filter transitions, the luscious sets, mise en scène and the the proper placement the camera to catch the best; they were just the right touches to make it highly engaging and well crafted. It was tight and astute, blending story and aesthetics better than Scott has for a while.

A perfectly entertaining and passable drama, emotionally twisting, tense at times, and steadily moving. A good choice for a weekend flick with the family.