All the Money in the World (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

J. Paul Getty believed that paying ransoms would encourage more kidnappings. Despite being the wealthiest man in the world with 14 grandsons, he coldly dismissed Gail's pleas for help. He only agreed to pay $1 million of the $17 million ransom, and even then, only after Gail signed over parental rights of her children to Getty's son, making him legally responsible for the remaining amount.

• j paul getty
• ransom refusal
• kidnapping
• gail getty
• money

Gail signed over parental rights to reduce the amount she needed to raise to pay the kidnappers. With Getty refusing to pay more than $1 million, she was responsible for coming up with the remainder of the ransom. By signing over custody of her children to Getty's son, she transferred the financial burden to the Getty family while still ensuring Paul would be rescued.

• gail harris
• parental rights
• custody
• john getty jr
• ransom

Paul was rescued during the ransom exchange in Italy. After Getty agreed to pay $1 million, Gail and negotiator Fletcher Chase orchestrated the handover. During the tense exchange, Paul attempted to escape from his captors and managed to slip away. He encountered both Chase and Gail, who helped him escape to safety.

• paul getty iii
• rescue
• ransom exchange
• escape
• fletcher chase

One of Paul's ears was mutilated by his captors and sent to a newspaper as a threat to pressure the family into paying the ransom. This gruesome act was meant to demonstrate that the kidnappers were serious about harming Paul if their demands were not met.

• ear mutilation
• threat
• kidnapper
• calabria
• italy

After weeks of captivity without ransom payment, tension among the kidnappers escalated. One kidnapper was killed after accidentally exposing his identity to Paul. The body of this dead kidnapper was later found and mistakenly identified as Paul's, briefly giving Gail hope before she confirmed the body was not her son.

• dead body
• mistaken identity
• calabria
• kidnapper

Fletcher Chase was a Getty Oil negotiator and former CIA operative assigned by J. Paul Getty to handle the abduction. His tasks included investigating the kidnapping, locating Paul's captors, and keeping Gail shielded from the grim realities of the situation. He ultimately helped orchestrate the rescue plan and was present during the ransom exchange.

• fletcher chase
• cia
• negotiator
• getty oil
• rescue plan

Getty remained firm in his belief that paying the full ransom would invite future kidnappings. After intense negotiations and with Gail desperate to save her son, he agreed to pay $1 million as a loan to Paul (which would later be deducted from his inheritance), leaving Gail responsible for securing the remaining ransom through her own means.

• one million dollars
• ransom negotiation
• getty agreement
• loan

Gail divorced John Getty Jr. in 1971 after he lost his job and fell into drug addiction and infidelity. The marriage deteriorated under these pressures, and Gail filed for divorce seeking sole custody of her children. She declined alimony in favor of full custody, which left her financially vulnerable when Paul was kidnapped.

• gail harris
• john getty jr
• divorce
• drug addiction
• 1971

J. Paul Getty saw potential in Paul to become as ruthless and successful in business as himself. From an early age, he groomed Paul by giving him expensive gifts, including a $1.2 million Egyptian Minotaur sculpture. This interest in shaping Paul into his successor was evident even in Paul's childhood.

• paul getty iii
• successor
• minotaur sculpture
• grooming
• inheritance

After J. Paul Getty's death in 1976, Gail managed her children's inherited wealth and began converting it into a charitable trust. Many of the significant artifacts and artworks Getty had collected over the years were sold, and many now form part of the Getty Museum collection in Los Angeles.

• getty museum
• artifacts
• charitable trust
• los angeles
• 1976

Fletcher Chase's investigative skills eventually led to the location of Paul's captors in Calabria, Southern Italy. However, by the time authorities raided the hideout, Paul had already been sold to another crime organization that demanded an even higher ransom.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes showed Chase gathering intelligence about the kidnapping network.

• calabria
• raid
• crime organization
• chase investigation
• location

Nancy was J. Paul Getty's secretary who attempted to get him to listen to Gail's pleas for help after Paul was kidnapped. She informed Getty of the situation on July 10, 1973, but Getty coldly dismissed the request for ransom payment through her.

• nancy
• secretary
• getty oil
• communication
• plea