All the Money in the World
The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.
Working with a moderate budget of $50.0M, the film achieved a steady performer with $57.0M in global revenue (+14% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
All the Money in the World (2017) showcases meticulously timed plot construction, characteristic of Ridley Scott's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 12 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Gail Harris
J. Paul Getty
Fletcher Chase
John Paul Getty III
Cinquanta
Main Cast & Characters
Gail Harris
Played by Michelle Williams
The determined mother of kidnapped John Paul Getty III who fights tirelessly to rescue her son while battling her former father-in-law's refusal to pay ransom.
J. Paul Getty
Played by Christopher Plummer
The world's richest man and patriarch of the Getty family, notorious for his extreme miserliness and refusal to pay his grandson's ransom despite his vast wealth.
Fletcher Chase
Played by Mark Wahlberg
A former CIA operative turned Getty's security advisor who becomes Gail's ally in the effort to negotiate with the kidnappers and rescue Paul.
John Paul Getty III
Played by Charlie Plummer
The 16-year-old grandson of J. Paul Getty who is kidnapped in Rome and held for ransom, enduring brutal captivity while his family struggles to secure his release.
Cinquanta
Played by Romain Duris
The leader of the Calabrian crime syndicate who orchestrates the kidnapping and negotiates the ransom, showing both ruthlessness and unexpected moments of humanity.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Rome, 1973. Young Paul Getty III walks through a vibrant marketplace, camera in hand, capturing the beauty of everyday life. He appears free, artistic, and comfortable in this world—living modestly but contentedly as part of the Getty family.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when Paul Getty III is kidnapped by masked men on a Rome street in broad daylight. He's thrown into a van, hooded, and taken captive. The comfortable life established in the opening is violently shattered.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
At 67 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat The ransom demand is reduced to $4 million, seemingly progress—but Getty Sr. Still refuses to pay a cent. False hope collapses. Simultaneously, the captors grow impatient and violent, selling Paul to more dangerous criminals. The stakes escalate dramatically and the "negotiation game" turns deadly serious., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 99 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Paul's captors cut off his ear and mail it to a newspaper with a lock of his hair. The package arrives, proving he's still alive but brutalized. This is the "whiff of death"—the moment of maximum despair where Paul's mutilation shows how far things have fallen., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 105 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. The tense ransom exchange unfolds in the Italian countryside. Chase delivers the money while navigating betrayals and danger. Paul is released and reunited with his mother. Getty Sr. Dies alone, his vast wealth unable to buy connection. The finale resolves all narrative threads., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
All the Money in the World's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping All the Money in the World against these established plot points, we can identify how Ridley Scott utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish All the Money in the World within the crime genre.
Ridley Scott's Structural Approach
Among the 22 Ridley Scott films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.5, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. All the Money in the World represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ridley Scott filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional crime films include The Bad Guys, Batman Forever and 12 Rounds. For more Ridley Scott analyses, see American Gangster, Exodus: Gods and Kings and Robin Hood.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Rome, 1973. Young Paul Getty III walks through a vibrant marketplace, camera in hand, capturing the beauty of everyday life. He appears free, artistic, and comfortable in this world—living modestly but contentedly as part of the Getty family.
Theme
J. Paul Getty Sr., the richest man in the world, coldly states his philosophy: "Everything has a price, and I will only pay what something is worth." This establishes the central thematic conflict between monetary value and human value.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the Getty world: Paul III's bohemian life in Rome, his mother Gail's strained relationship with the family, and J. Paul Getty Sr.'s extreme wealth and notorious frugality. Flashbacks establish how Gail divorced into poverty while Getty Sr. controls everything through money.
Disruption
Paul Getty III is kidnapped by masked men on a Rome street in broad daylight. He's thrown into a van, hooded, and taken captive. The comfortable life established in the opening is violently shattered.
Resistance
Gail receives ransom demands for $17 million. She frantically tries to convince Getty Sr. to pay, but he refuses, believing it's a hoax or fearing it will endanger his other grandchildren. Ex-CIA operative Fletcher Chase is sent by Getty to investigate. Gail debates whether she can find another way to save her son.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The negotiation game unfolds. Gail and Chase investigate leads, negotiate with the kidnappers, and attempt to convince Getty to pay. Meanwhile, Paul bonds with one of his captors, Cinquanta, revealing his humanity. Getty Sr. plays financial chess, attempting to manipulate the situation to his advantage.
Midpoint
The ransom demand is reduced to $4 million, seemingly progress—but Getty Sr. still refuses to pay a cent. False hope collapses. Simultaneously, the captors grow impatient and violent, selling Paul to more dangerous criminals. The stakes escalate dramatically and the "negotiation game" turns deadly serious.
Opposition
Paul's conditions worsen under brutal new captors. Gail and Chase's efforts intensify but continuously hit walls—Getty Sr. obstructs, the Italian police are ineffective, and the mafia grows more violent. The emotional and physical pressure on all parties increases as time runs out.
Collapse
Paul's captors cut off his ear and mail it to a newspaper with a lock of his hair. The package arrives, proving he's still alive but brutalized. This is the "whiff of death"—the moment of maximum despair where Paul's mutilation shows how far things have fallen.
Crisis
Gail faces her darkest moment, processing the horror of her son's mutilation. Getty Sr., finally moved by the ear, agrees to pay—but only the maximum tax-deductible amount, loaning the rest to Paul's father at interest. The cold calculation even in this moment reveals the depth of his spiritual bankruptcy.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The tense ransom exchange unfolds in the Italian countryside. Chase delivers the money while navigating betrayals and danger. Paul is released and reunited with his mother. Getty Sr. dies alone, his vast wealth unable to buy connection. The finale resolves all narrative threads.