Arbitrage With Richard Gere - Review Featuring Simon Dixon

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In this edition of the show Faiza Ahmed reviews the film; Arbitrage, directed by Nicholas Jarecki with author of Bank To The Future - Simon Dixon.

Arbitrage is Nicholas Jarecki's debut feature film. Robert Miller is the head of Miller Capital, a successful hedge fund that has weathered the economic storm and somehow thrived in this tough environment.

To the public, he's a successful businessman, a loving husband, a caring father, and a giving philanthropist. To those who know him personally, Miller is a little less miraculous and a little more relentless.

Arbitrage the movie

Sixty-year-old magnate Robert Miller manages a hedge fund with his daughter Brooke (Brit Marling) and is about to sell it for a handsome profit. However, unbeknownst to his daughter and most of his other employees, he has cooked his company's books in order to cover an investment loss and avoid being arrested for fraud. One night, while driving with his mistress Julie Cote (Laetitia Casta), he begins to doze off and crashes; Julie is killed. An injured Miller leaves the scene and decides to cover up his involvement to prevent the public, his wife Ellen (Susan Sarandon), and the prospective buyer James Mayfield (Graydon Carter) from discovering the truth.

Miller calls Jimmy Grant (Nate Parker), a twenty-three-year-old man from Harlem with a criminal record whom he helped get off the street in the past. After being driven home by Grant, Miller drags his injured body into bed at 4:30 am, arousing suspicion in his wife. The next day, he is questioned by police detective Bryer (Tim Roth). Bryer is keen on arresting Miller for manslaughter and begins to put the pieces together. Brooke discovers the financial irregularities, realizes that she could be implicated and confronts her father.
Jimmy is arrested and placed before a grand jury but still refuses to admit to helping Miller. Miller once again contemplates turning himself in. Even though Jimmy is about to go to prison, Miller tells Jimmy that investors are depending on him and that waiting for the sale to close before coming forward would serve the greater good. Eventually the sale is closed but Miller finds a way to avoid being charged. He proves that Detective Bryer fabricated evidence. The case against Jimmy is dismissed and the detective is ordered not to go near him. Miller's wife, thinking the police investigation is still on-going, tries to blackmail him with a separation agreement getting rid of his wealth. When Robert Miller refuses to sign, his wife says that she will tell the police that he got into bed at 4:30 am, bruised and bloody. In the final scene, Miller addresses a banquet honoring him for his successful business either because of his wife or in spite of her.

Cast

Richard Gere as Robert Miller
Susan Sarandon as Ellen Miller
Tim Roth as Det. Bryer
Brit Marling as Brooke Miller
Laetitia Casta as Julie Cote
Nate Parker as Jimmy Grant
Stuart Margolin as Syd Felder
Chris Eigeman as Gavin Briar
Graydon Carter as James Mayfield
Bruce Altman as Chris Vogler
[edit]Reception

Critical response

The film was praised by critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a "certified fresh" score of 85% based on reviews from 125 critics. At Metacritic it received a weighted average rating of 73% based on reviews from 33 critics. Many critics pointed out Gere's "conflicted performance" as a "career-best", and cited the screenplay, ensemble acting, and direction as high quality.

This section requires expansion. (January 2013)

Box office

As of 5 November 2012, the film had grossed over $31,000,000 in first-cycle sales to date (with $21,000,000 in ticket sales at the global box office, and a VOD North American gross over $10 million). The film also outperformed financially in several areas: it set a record as the highest grossing "day-and-date" release of all time, meaning it outperformed all other films released simultaneously in theaters and "on-demand". It also opened to a per screen average in the US in excess of $10,000, making it one of the highest per-screen average films of the year. It was the top film in Israel two weeks running and #3 in Spain two weeks running, nearing a Spanish theatrical gross of nearly $4,500,000 USD. It broke independent box office records in many other countries including Australia, the UAE, and Switzerland.