Arbitrage- An ecstasy of Guilt
Director: Nicholas Jarecki
Cast: Tim Roth, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Nate Parker, Brit Marling, Laetitia Casta
Rating: 3
Arbitrage is a balance of sex, danger and exploitation through business talk and a touch of dark humor to smash up the tension. On his debut feature film, director Nicholas Jarecki illustrated a great command of tendency in a variety of element.
Richard Gere stars as Robert Miller, a billionaire who just turns 60. And despite the loyalty and support of his smart, beautiful wife (Susan Sarandon), he has a hot French mistress Julie (former Victoria’s Secret model Laetitia Casta) who runs an art gallery. He appears to have it all: looks, wealth, a loving family and admiration among his peers.
But Robert has a $400 million secret: He lost half his investment fund’s reserves and is defrauding auditors so he can sell his business to a major financial institution. His daughter (Brit Marling) is his chief investment officer and, knowing nothing of the accounting dilemma, stands to lose not only her job but any hope of getting another.
On one occasion Robert and his mistress Julie gets on the wheel supposed to be a romantic ride, but Robert unintentionally wrecks the car and kills her. He flees the scene with the hesitant help of Jimmy Grant (Nate Parker), a former employee's son but Grant, a black man outside Miller's moneyed circles, is rapidly followed by detectives working the case. Tim Roth plays the lead detective compellingly as he attempts to unearth the dirty truth he knows.
The ‘Gere’ charm that has won over audiences for decades is taken into another level in Miller’s ability to twist people’s morals. The forceful scenes of negotiating his future through money creates the most interesting scenes of the movie.
The film is well-cast and the characters are powerful. Richard Gere’s fine tuned performance makes the film remarkable.
