Arbitrage – Movie Review

Robert Miller (Richard Gere) has it all, a hugely success business man with a wife and perfect family, and beautiful artist girlfriend on the side, but pick at the surface and you’ll see the flaws beginning to show. This is the story of a fall from grace and a desperate attempt to claw his way back, but will he succeed?

This is a well acted throughout, with Tim Roth and Susan Sarandon taking two of the minor roles in the piece. Roth stands out as Detective Michael Bryer, who is desperate to bring the rich man down from the top of the mountain. Bryer sees people like Miller as untouchable and will do anything to get his man, and Roth is great to watch as ever. Sarandon’s part as Miller’s wife Ellen is relatively minor, but she does have a pivotal role towards the end of the movie. Gere carries the part of Robert Miller well also, but it is a struggle to see him as a successful businessman! He’s never seemed the sharpest knife in the drawer.

The plot twists, but none of them are too shocking or unexpected, and it’s easy enough to follow. One of the really amazing issues about this story is how writer/ director Nicholas Jarecki managed to assemble this cast. His only previous big movie was the 2008 version of Bret Easton Ellis’s ‘ The Informers’, which did not receive much critical or box office success.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller, and it has a rare thing for a movie of this kind, a good ending! It is one that will be just as enjoyable on dvd, as the cinematography is nothing to write home about, but do see it!

Arbitrage details on IMDB.