Worth ★★★

Sara Colangelo

Starring Michael Keaton, Amy Ryan, Stanley Tucci, Tate Donovan, Shunori Ramanathan

Whenever you see either Michael Keaton or Stanley Tucci star in a movie you sit up and see what it’s all about. Two titans of the acting profession, (seen together previously in Spotlight), meet again here to help tell the story of the 9/11 Fund, where the powers that be decide what a life is worth financially, while the families are still in the beginning of their grief.

The subject matter is highly emotive and so it’s difficult to separate the movie from the story at times. The movie packs its punches and has a weight to it that is felt from the get-go. Keaton plays lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, who is tasked with heading up the team who will settle the pay outs to the victims and their families. He is centre stage the whole time and does a great job of carrying the movie.

Tucci plays Charles Wolf, Kenneth’s nemesis. Tucci is not on screen nearly enough though. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this story would have been served better if it was told from Charles Wolf’s point of view; it’s always going to be difficult to sympathise with these lawyers more than the victims themselves.

The premise, “what is a life worth” is an interesting concept and must have been a torturous experience for everyone involved. This theme was portrayed a little on the nose generally though and so the point becomes laboured by the time we get to the conclusion.

Although this is a perfectly watchable and emotive movie, sometimes a true story deserves to be told through books, documentaries and articles rather than by actors. I feel that this could have been one of those stories.

Worth available now on Netflix