With an outstanding performance from Richard Gere, Arbitrage waits just long enough to take you from intrigued to enthralled. While I wouldn’t say it thrilled me, I was definitely immersed in the story, with numerous twists around every corner.
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Troubled hedge fund tycoon Robert Miller (Gere) is desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire and move out of the business for good. We see early on he’s a busy man, with not just many things on his mind, but many people too. He has a great family with wife Ellen (Susan Sarandon) and children, including his daughter Brooke (Brit Marling). Both actresses are great alongside Gere and it certainly feels like they were made for the role.
The story that is told in Arbitrage is one that builds up, piece by piece, and ultimately peaks at exhilirating points, multiple times. Director Nicholas Jarecki has done a great job in holding the audience’s attention just long enough before hitting them with a blow or change of pace. I often didn’t see it coming which is a credit to the film.
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Without giving too much away, the key turning point of the movie really catches you off guard, turning the movie and story on it’s head. My attention and interest in the story was starting to waver, but from this key moment on wards it reinvigorates the movie.
Tim Roth soon enters (Best known for TV hit Lie To Me) and he is also a welcome addition to the cast with his familiar detective skills and charm. It’s really a movie where I could not predict what was going to happen and was mostly interested in throughout. My attention did start to drop off again towards the end, with some often frustrating moments, but it largely held my interest and finishes well too. Without spoiling the end, I’m glad it was done how it was, as too often movies do not end the way this one did.
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Arbitrage is worth seeing, not only from great performances from Gere, Sarandon, Roth and Marling but for it’s enthralling story and constant edge of your seat style storytelling. There are some great messages to be taken out of it too, but as a Drama/Thriller it does a decent job of captivating the audience and keeping you guessing. B
