All the Money in the World - Review

Oh Ridley Scott. Why do you do this to me? For me, every movie I watch of his is either going to be a constant thrill ride or a grand epic, or an interesting movie with interesting concepts that feels like it goes on forever. One year he will deliver a Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, the Martian, and in between that he will release a Body of Lies or an All the Money in the World. Don't get me wrong, Ridley Scott knows how to make a damn good looking film. From a cinematic stand point, this movie has everything you'd want. Great performances from Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg and especially Christopher Plummer who had replaced Kevin Spacey, cinematography that looks excellent, especially with the colour palette they went with, and a story that can be interesting. However, I don't know what it is, but I was checking my watch during this movie multiple times. What is it about Ridley Scott movies that make it seem super slow and almost boring? Which is strange for me to say because the story is interesting enough, but wasn't executed in a way that is gripping and intriguing. I look at a movie like Argo which I really liked. No action sequences, just people talking throughout the whole thing. For reasons I can't explain, Ben Affleck's direction made me really invested in that story. Then, I think in my head how Ridley Scott would have directed it and all I can imagine is being kind of bored and the movie dragging. I also think that if someone like Ben Affleck directed this movie, it would be much more interesting. Now I don't have any evidence to back this up, this is just my personal opinion, but then again, aren't all reviews. The only real problem I had with this movie was pacing and that seems to be an issue with many of Ridley Scott's films for me which really sucks because he can make some masterpieces. If you are interested in the J. Paul Getty story and don't mind a movie that may be a little on the "slow" slide, then this might be a good movie for you. My best comparison would be Bridge of Spies by Steven Spielberg. Interesting concept and story, slow in it's execution.