ARBITRAGE
LAST NIGHT WE WENT TO SEE THIS MOVIE AT THE CLUBHOUSE. HUBBY CAME TOO AND SO DID SOME OTHER FRIENDS. THE THEATER WAS PACKED! IT WAS FREE. I KNOW THAT NOT ALL MEN SCREW AROUND BUT MANY DO. I GUESS WOMEN TOO AS MY HUBBY POINTED OUT. IT JUST SEEMED SO TYPICAL OF A RICH MAN WHOS SCREWS AROUND, GETS INTO DEEP TROUBLE BUT IN THE END HE’S OK. DOES IT REMIND YOU OF ANYONE????
Rich people suck! But they’re human too! Capturing these two elements seems to be the gold standard for many of the recent movies about the one percenters, and Nicholas Jarecki‘s Arbitrage is both a good entry into this genre, and a promising narrative debut from the director. However, the film really works as a crime thriller, and lags when it grinds to a halt to deliver lectures.
Richard Gere captures hedge fund billionaire Robert Miller to a tee, as the magnate seeks to sell his company on the eve of his sixtieth birthday. But the man who has it all is revealed to have a company with massive hidden loses, which he hopes to keep hidden just long enough to close the deal. He’s also got a French mistress he hopes to keep hidden. But when something personal goes terribly wrong, Robert is forced to call in someone from his past to help keep everything quiet, as Robert tries to keep himself out of prison for any number of charges just long enough to make sure his empire isn’t totally ruined.
The film is beautifully designed, with cool colors, sleek settings, and opulent parties and lifestyles masking the discontent and internal disaster of Miller and everyone around him. I kept thinking of the meticulous design of another Wall Street criticism: American Psycho. Then I realized Jarecki co-wrote a sceenplay (The Informers) with author Bret Easton Ellis.
As I mentioned, the fun is watching Miller try to keep everything under control, both in his violent crime and financial one(s). As terrible as his actions were, I couldn’t help being gripped by the endless obstacles and backstabbing that took place in the sale of the behemoth company; and Gere’s massively confident bluff at the end of the film steals the show. But when Miller argues with his wife, daughter, or lawyer about what he’s done- or when a cop tears into a judge about prosecuting white collar criminals- the indignant intellectual elements override the human drama.
The performances are all pretty good, featuring the kind of great New York actors who get to shine when an indie movie like this films in the city. The accomplished Tim Roth has a rare misstep, trying too hard to come across as a slouchy, Noo Yawk detective.
Did you see Arbitrage? What did you think?