In "Arbitrage," Richard Gere is a man in deep trouble. As Robert Miller, he's the head of a hedge-fund empire and appears to be the symbol of success. Wealth, Wall Street fame, a beautiful wife (Ellen; Susan Sarandon), son, and daughter (Brooke; Brit Marling) as likely successor.
At a glance, the corporation is doing well and in the process of being bought for massive profit. Robert seems content to step aside to pursue other interests or spend more time with family. In reality, however, the company has suffered hundreds of millions of losses due to some bad investments, and Robert has inflated the value by cooking the books and plugging the holes through a temporary loan. The buyout process, which involves a number of prolonged audits and reviews, ends with a cool ping-pong of power and deal closing over a napkin.
As if it's not complicated enough, Robert tops it off by having an affair with a French art-gallery owner, Julie Cote (Laetitia Casta) until tragedy strikes. With a detective (Det. Michael Bryer; Tim Roth) hot on his trail, he's forced to turn to an unlikely source, and a young man's life hangs in the balance as a result.
Gere still has "it." Throughout his indiscretion and predicament, he expresses a range of emotions well. And he has the charm and shrewdness to play the game of duplicity and infidelity, and layers of cover-ups that you'll almost want to root for him to beat the system and get away with all. Marling and Sarandon are strong supporting casts, although underused.
There's nothing particularly memorable about "Arbitrage," but anyone who is into crime drama would enjoy. Studios rarely makes this type of film anymore; it's a solid thriller.
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