Is a movie about a man so rich, all he had was money. He died holding a painting. There was no one, repeat no one, to help him. But I go ahead of myself.
We are told Mr. Getty was so rich, no one individual before him had been as rich as he was in the entire universe. He is a great art collector, though, I think sometimes people fleece him and sell him fakes. He has no love for humans. He sees them as pests or as out to take his money.
Getty in order not to pay tax registers his empire as a trust fund. He gives no money to charity. In fact, he gives no money to no one. In his house, should you want to make a phone call, there is a pay phone in the lobby for your use.
Maybe the wife left him. I can’t recall what happens to her. For the son, the less said the better.
As for the daughter in law, she is great.
The grandson gets into trouble, or rather, trouble follows him. He is kidnapped by some outlaws who demand $17mn as ransom. When the money is not forthcoming, they sell him to an ‘investor’ who demands $7mn. The mother doesn’t have this money. The grandfather on the other hand could have raised this money without a sweat but simply refuses to do so.
The old man says everything and everyone has a price. The only struggle in the world is to know what that price is.
In order not to be a spoilsport, I will stop here and recommend you watch the movie. If you have watched it, you can weigh in below.
Random thoughts 
Virtues taken to extremes becomes vices. So frugality if taken too far becomes stinginess.
But a real dilemma is how to respond to kidnapping. But I won’t go down that rabbit hole here.
As they say “you can’t take it with you”. A study of dying people shows that it is personal relationships that dominate their thoughts, certainly not money.
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In one of the scenes, an employee of Getty tells him the kidnappers would do things to his grandson that no amount of money can make good. They cut off the boys ear to send a message they were serious. As you say, it is a dilemma.
In the scene where Getty gets a stroke and tries to call for help and no one shows up, you actually feel sorry for him.
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Money has become the new god to worship, so hierarchical competition has replaced egalitarian cooperation. At one time Andrew Carnegie was probably the richest man in the world but eventually became wise enough to save him true self by announcing ‘the man who dies rich, dies disgraced’, so gave most of his wealth away.
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When Getty died, the family donated most of his collections and money to charities.
The saying he is so poor money is all he has can be applied to Getty
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I have not seen the movie – didn’t know it was out there – but after watching the trailer am definitely going to.
I know the history side and I love Wahlberg as an actor and Scott is my favorite director so it should be a great show.
Good on you for mentioning it.
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You will love it. The performance was great.
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I will watch this. Looks good and great creative people are involved.
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It’s a fine movie
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Just watched the movie. Poor old man, he didn’t have the money, the money had him by the balls. Sure, he must have had many fakes, with the sculpture he gave to his grandson being an example; it could fetch anything significant when it was time to sell. Cinquata is something else, street smart, and hasn’t given himself fully to the inhumanity and foolishness of his trade. He didn’t report himself or kill Paul when he exposed his face to him. Loved it
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That old man was so poor money is all he had.
Though a criminal, one actually is sympathetic to Cinquata. He makes you laugh when he says he doesn’t understand Americans. For him he would steal, well he steals already, steal more for family.
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That scene was among the best (there are many) with Cinquantas monologue, though it was supposed to be a conversation. Very funny guy. I will watch it again
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Cinquata was too funny. And too humane for a criminal
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I actually thought he was going to be eliminated by his seniors because of that, especially when he was being given his share as the last one.
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I don’t think they suspected he could have tried to help Paul get away or rather be complacent in his attempts to escape. I liked him.
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He was great, very hard not to like him. Made a great impression on poor Paul too
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Or where he admonishes Paul’s mother on what has she done to get her son back.
He is a natural.
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Ohhh, that was really something, he says there is no profit beyond the last asking. He was offering a win win situation at this point
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He had a way with working on people psychology. He wondered why Paul wasnt loved by his family. When Paul said he was sent away from school, Cinquata says it was because he was a bad boy. Then says if it him, he would love him whether he was a good or bad boy, that he would do anything, including stealing (as you ealier quoted)
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The moment he takes steak to Paul so he is energetic or when he gives him alcohol to numb the pain when the investor cuts off his finger. There’s no malice in his actions at all. Even if he were arrested, one would ask the court for leniency.
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The ear? He was even more humane than the doctor. what kind of doctor doesn’t have anaesthetic, even local anaesthic. That was a butcher trying his hands in surgery
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That doc was a bigger criminal. You would think he would have something to stop the bleeding, but nothing.
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Not even a surgeon’s gown to protect his suit. They way he looked at the cut ear with some kind of satisfaction and achievement convinced me this was a psychopath. The criminals holding Paul were even flinching, not the doctor. I am sure he doesn’t prescribe to Hippocrates oath
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I think he has his own oath. Do as the mafia demands
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