Arbitrage (2012)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Blistering performances.

Great script, great direction, great acting all round. Richard Gere in a meaty role is always good. Nate Parker is fantastic, loved Stuart Margolin too. The whole supporting cast is wonderful - real, understated, intelligent. Thought I was going to be bored rigid by a film about money but I was mesmerised, even though I don't actually understand a thing hedge funds or arbitrage or ANYTHING. Watch it.

This film is a complete failure! Because the plot doesn't recognize its own roots. It is supposed to be a thriller and a thriller is based in logical thinking, you take that out and the whole thing falls apart. The most important scene to establish this thing as a thriller is an auto crash accident that happens while Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is driving on a highway with his mistress Julie Cote (Laetitia Casta) in the passenger's seat. It so happens that Robert gets injured in the body and head but Julie dies. This crucial scene and the physical happenings tell you clearly that this is an accident. His reactions are rather ambivalent, is he angry? Is he sad? Is he sorry? Is he regretful? Perhaps all of this and none of it. Impossible to tell by his reactions that are all of these and more but cool. Nevertheless Robert gets panic and acts as if he has murdered her and tries by all means to cover up the whole thing. But not only that; the script of the film takes for granted that this is a crime and that Robert has deliberate murdered Julie. Robert appears to be the leader of a huge international conglomerate of very rich companies that require solid thinking and decision making. But no, after the accident Robert acts like a teenager without experience and leaves the scene of the accident in panic because he as well as the director of this film is convinced that he is a murderer. A real guy in the shoes of Robert would've called an ambulance trying to save the life of Julie, now that would've been the normal thing to do, but then you wouldn't have had this film. The result is a film in a created and artificial environment and therefore a failure as a thriller. It would've been better for the plot and the logistics of the film to do just that, be bolder, go for it the whole way, that's when good films are created: let Robert kill Julie. She was pressing him both with money and sentimentally, that would've been enough motives to create a credible crime scene leaving the rest of the film as it is and therefore a much better thriller.

Well, I have always been an honest guy, due to the education my family has given to me. Therefore, it's easy to guess how shocked I was while watching this movie. "Arbitrage" is a film about a businessman whose life gets in danger after his scam start getting scammed, and after he takes the life of his lover in a car accident. In this context, Gere's character tries everything in his power in order to get away with or murder, or to at least continue a life out of jail. However, things are very hard to be done; most of his issues involve his family, and not even a conniving wife seems able to save it all. It is interesting to notice that everyone in this picture is corruptible; even Jimmy, who appeared to be a prudent man, ends up doing what's best for himself. Well, I'm not a pessimist guy who thinks the world is full of people who only care about money; however, I'm very aware that some segments of every society are just as dishonest as they could be, and "Arbitrage" was able to remember me of that. My main surprise about the characters happened with Ellen Miller, who knew it all from the get go and never did anything about it. So, considering all these aspects I've mentioned, and considering the story is completely entertaining, my vote is nine. Great movie!

This is one of those vain movies a person regret watching. If you want to waste your time with a movie that will leave you with nothing to take in or even think about - then go ahead. Otherwise, skip this movie that gives a glimpse of the lifestyle of the reach people who have both wives and mistresses and do illegal actions. Those characters are not elaborate, the film lacks deeper perspective instead of the cliché that rich people get away with crime, yet they lose the respect and adulation of their love ones which is what matters. It is all so superficial that does not leave the viewer with anything to take from it. The characters are stereotypical, the plot is not elaborate and it does not tell any story of the stock market well described other than some accounting illegal actions, which are also superficially told. All in all, wateful resources to make this movie.