Arbitrage

4.5 stars... Entertaining thriller from start to finish
"Arbitrage" (2012 release; 100 min.) stars Richard Gere as Robert Miller, the owner and CEO of Miller Capital, a Wall Street investment firm. Soon enough into the movie, we learn that Miller has all kinds of business and relationships issues/problems, and in fact each of these problems could've easily by themselves filled a whole movie: from the business side, it appears that Miller's firm is mysteriously short $412 million just at a time when the firm is about to be sold at a large profit. Miller borrows the funds to cover up the hole, but that puts only more pressure on him as the lender now wants the loan repaid. From the personal side, Miller is having an affair with Julie, a French up-and-coming art gallery owner. Late one night, as Miller and Julie are diving off, Miller nods off, causing the car to flip over and Julie is accidentally killed. Miller decides to flee the scene.

At that point we're maybe 20 min. into the movie, and to tell you more of the plot would...

OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE
It is always nice to get out while you are on top, before you are caught with your finger in the pie. This is what a dishonest, cheating Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is attempting to do. This is a semi-crime drama that comes at you rather fast with no time for character build up. Robert Miller is unlikeable, but the film doesn't build character for anyone else. I found myself rooting for minor characters who are more honest than Miller, but not puritanical.

Brit Marling as the overly smart daughter played a convincing role, but Susan Sarandon as the wife did not have the lines she needed to excel. The individual scene dialouge was predictable. The film is more of a crime drama with the financial empire and deals being part of the background dealings setting up Gere's character.

Might be worth watching once. A film you will forget an hour after you have seen it. Not a keeper.

Parental Guide: F-bombs, brief sex, no nudity

ZZZzzz...
Richard Gere stars as a millionaire Wall Street financier with big troubles at work and a dead mistress, too.

It's always a bad sign when I have to look up the meaning of a movie title after seeing the movie and still don't know what it means. This was a big disappointment, although the acting was excellent. Richard Gere is always a pleasure to watch; he's confidant, capable, and charismatic, giving a very good performance as a single-minded and unscrupulous man. The problem here is the script, which is confusing and boring, and gives us no one to root for. None of the characters are likable and most of the dialogue consist of muffled references to Big Trade Deals that we aren't meant to fully understand.

The story paints a believable picture of a powerful man who can buy anything except, of course, his family's love. The movie is predictable and only interesting in brief spurts; basically, it's an unsympathetic and dull story. Recommended only for those who find...

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