All the Money in the World

In 1973, 16-year-old J. P. "Paul" Getty III (Charlie Plummer), grandson of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) who was at that time the world's richest private citizen, is kidnapped in Rome by an organized crime ring.

Getty made his fortune by bringing the oil out of Saudi Arabia in 1948. He made a deal with the local tribes for the oil rights. He invented a ship large enough to carry the oil he extracted and called it a super tanker. In 1965, Getty was the first man in history to have a fortune in excess of $1 billion.

Through flashbacks we learn that Paul's parents, Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) and John Getty Jr. (Andrew Buchan), used to live in the US when they were happily married. John was out of a job and so she encourages John to write to Getty.

Getty calls them all to Rome via a telegram and gives John a job at Getty Oil. His real interest is in Paul, whom he grooms as mercilessly as he is himself. In his first meeting with Paul, Getty gifts him an Egyptian Minotaur sculpture worth $1.2 million, as Paul mistook it for a toy. Getty reveals that he bought it in an Egyptian flea market for $11. Getty still washes and dries his own clothes, as the expenses are tax deductible. John is made EVP is charge of European Operations for Getty Oil. Getty gets unrestricted access, with John busy at work.

Years later, John gets addicted to drugs & eventually John cheats on Gail, and she files for divorce in 1971.

Gail rejected any alimony in exchange for full custody of her children in the divorce settlement, so therefore she does not have the means to pay the ransom. Paul was reluctant to go with Gail as he was happy with Getty.

The kidnappers first call Gail and inform her about Paul's kidnapping. The kidnappers demand a ransom of $17 million. Gail says that she has no money and is told to get it from Getty.

It is July 10th, 1973, when Getty is informed of Paul's abduction by his secretary Nancy (Stacy Martin). Nancy says that Paul's mother Gail would like to speak to him, but Getty is not bothered and says that he is not available. Getty appears in front of the media and says that paying ransoms would encourage further kidnappings on his family members. He has 14 grandsons.

Gail travels to Getty's estate to beseech him to pay the ransom, but he refuses to even meet Gail.

The media picks up on the story, with many believing Gail to be rich herself and blaming her for the refusal to pay the ransom.

Meanwhile, Getty asks Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg), a Getty Oil negotiator and former CIA operative, to investigate the case and secure Paul's release. Getty wants Gail to be kept away from the details of the case.

Getty trusts Chase to handle contract negotiations with the Saudi royals including Prince Al-Rashid (Ghassan Massoud) and Prince Al-Wahid (Bakar Qabbani).

Chase meets Gail in the Getty mansion and tries to convince Gail that Paul is safer without acting in haste.

Chase and Gail meet the local police who say that they have several mail claiming to be the kidnappers with Paul's possession. Chase suggests putting this news in the papers and hoping that the real kidnappers would make a move when they find that all criminals in Rome are after their ransom.

Paul is kept hostage in a remote location (Calabria) in Southern Italy. Initially his captors, particularly Cinquanta (Romain Duris), are tolerant with him because his quiet and submissive demeanor causes them few problems.

However, things grow increasingly tense as weeks go by without the ransom being paid, far longer than the captors anticipated. Arguments arise over whether to move Paul to a new location as winter is approaching and their hideout is not suitable for cold conditions.

Things get worse when one of the kidnappers accidentally shows his face to Paul, prompting one of the others to kill the man for his foolish mistake. His burned and disfigured body is recovered in the river; investigators erroneously identify the body as Paul's, but Gail examines the body and refutes this.

Using the new lead of the body, Chase is able to pinpoint the hideout where Paul is being held. A raid is conducted with several kidnappers being killed, but Paul is no longer there; he had been sold on to a new crime organization. The new captors are much less patient with Paul and negotiate more aggressively with the Getty family to receive their payment.

After repeated negotiations with Gail and Chase, and frustration from the captors at how long the process was taking, they lower the asking price to $4 million. Getty finally decides to contribute to the ransom, but only $1 million - this being the maximum amount that he can claim as tax deductible. Moreover, he also will only do so if Gail signs a legal document waiving her parental access rights to Paul and her other children, giving them to Getty's son, her ex-husband. John is in a near-vegetative state due to his drug use. Knowing she is really giving custody to Getty, Gail signs the documents.

The kidnappers cut off one of Paul's ears and mail it to a major newspaper, claiming that they will continue mutilating him until the ransom is paid.

Gail announces she has the full ransom, hoping she and Chace can figure out a way to get Paul back alive anyway. Berated by an exasperated Chase, Getty finally relents and agrees to pay the full ransom, also voiding the parental agreement with Gail. Gail and Chase take the money to Italy and follow specific instructions from the captors, leaving the money in a remote location and receiving orders to pick up Paul from a construction site. However, a frightened Paul runs away from the site towards the nearest town, miles away.

Meanwhile the captors realize that Chase has broken his word and led the police to them; angry, they decide to find and kill Paul. Chase, Gail, and the captors arrive at the town to look for Paul. One of the kidnappers finds Paul first, but Cinquanta attacks the man in order to allow Paul to escape. Chase and Gail find Paul and smuggle him out of the country to safety.

Getty dies of unrelated causes in 1976, and Gail is tasked with managing her children's inherited wealth until they are of age. The company was set up as a charitable trust, which meant that Getty's income was tax-free but also not spendable. He had invested much of it in paintings, sculptures and other artifacts, which Gail begins to organize for sale. Most of them now reside in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.