A much longer and (so far) not-as-good version of last year’s “All The Money In The World,” Danny Boyle’s “Trust” stars Donald Sutherland in the Christopher Plummer (or is it Kevin Spacey?) role of zillionaire J. Paul Getty, Brendan Fraser in the Mark Wahlberg role of ex-CIA man Fletcher Chace, and Hilary Swank in the Michelle Williams role of Getty daughter-in-law Gail.
The series isn’t horrible, and I believe viewers who did not see the Ridley Scott movie will like “Trust” better than those who did.
In particular, those who remember Wahlberg’s no-nonsense movie Chace may find off-putting Boyle’s efforts to make Chace more colorful (if not cartoonish) by adding a Texas drawl, a Stetson, a bolo tie, an American-flag scarf and a sizeable gut. Boyle may have suspected planting a strutting Houstonite in Italy might bring a amusing fish-out-of-water element, at least to the second episode – but I found this particular comedic flourish flat.
Judging from the first three episodes, I’ll say “All The Money In The World” likely makes Getty a more relatable character than does the FX project.
The miniseries is more gay than the movie, with Boyle’s version playing up the kidnapped grandson’s sexual orientation, or lack thereof. The TV version also emphasizes a Getty-family suicide that preceded the kidnapping.
... Despite its initial focus on a violent and traumatic event, the series has fun with its larger-than-life characters and beautiful settings. It's zippy and fast-paced (most of the time), and it has plenty of room for dark humor. The series has a heightened and stylish feeling. Chace often addresses the camera with platitudes and insights. And Trust makes frequent use of split screens, bright colors and a period soundtrack. The writers and directors treat the real-life events with incredulity and wonder.…
... Trust has its own flaws, but it also has that blend of true crime, macabre comedy, the foibles of the rich and famous, and social issues that made The People v. O.J. so addictive. …
... Unfortunately Dickinson plays Paul as such a slack-jawed cipher, you don’t much care whether he escapes captivity. …
... The show’s appealing performers and catchy look don’t yet outweigh its lack of cohesion and its readiness to fall back on platitudes about the corrosive effects of wealth. “All the Money in the World” was a character study, but so far “Trust” is more of a caricature. …
... Producer Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire," "Trainspotting") delivers a highly stylized and lively drama that supersedes other competent famous-crime series ( "The Assassination of Gianni Versace," "Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers") thanks to his knack for smart, irreverent and vivid storytelling. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... The performances are captivating. Sutherland’s Getty is all about limitless entitlement in business, his personal life and his family. He shows more affection for the lion than he does for any of his girlfriends, with the exception of Penelope Kittson (Anna Chancellor), a kind of den mother for the group. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... “All the Money in the World” recently got to this story first. But “Trust” offers a different take that’s sometimes darkly funny, other times ruthless and grim. …
... Boyle’s filmmaking finesse — which gives us a character breaking the fourth wall and some “Fargo”-like split-screen action — is matched by Donald Sutherland’s entrancing lead performance as the coldly indifferent and tightfisted J. Paul Getty. …
... The series format … allows for a slow-motion look at the story that doesn't necessarily benefit the telling, examining what happened from a number of different characters' perspectives -- an idea that proves less enticing than that sounds. …
... “Trust” succeeds because it is about wealth as a disease. There are other threads to the show, and those threads are occasionally worthwhile. But the core of it engages with the corrosive heart of capitalism — embodied, almost too well, by the unbelievably monstrous soul of Getty the patriarch: an efficient and mercenary oil tycoon, a Scrooge who delights in manipulating the lives of those around him. …
... The challenges for long-term viewing here are not inconsequential. That's not to say that Trust can't or won't get there — especially considering that FX seems, at least for now, wedded to the idea of telling a multi-season story. Only by dint of Dickinson's spot-on performance as wayward 16-year-old wild child J. Paul Getty III, the emotional core of Trust, does the show suggest it has what it takes to grow over the long term.…
10 p.m. Sunday. FX.
