Arbitrage may be just a middling thriller but it does feature a damn fine performance. Let me rephrase that-it features a killer performance from Richard Gere....an actor who may have left the movie scene for a bit but is now back and better than ever. The film itself would not be all that thrilling if it were not for him. I acknowledge that the supporting cast including Tim Roth and Brit Marling are also excellent but this movie belongs to Gere. He simply saves the day.
In the movie Gere plays Robert Miller. He is a successful businessman who has a beautiful wife (Susan Sarandon) and a great daughter (Marling.) One night-Robert decides to go out with his mistress (Laetitia Casta) and gets into a car accident. She is dead and Robert flees the scene rather than calling for help because it would ruin a deal he has going on with a fellow company. It is then that Detective Michael Bryer (Tim Roth) decides to find out what really happened that night.
What makes the film weak is its sense of logic. We do not believe what happens at the end nor do we want to. What makes the film strong is the fact that Gere makes us root for Robert in spite of what he did. Roth is very funny and intense in his role and Sarandon and Marling prove to be good female back ups but the whole film just feels flat. When we do care...it is only because Gere makes himself so convincing and realistic.
Arbitrage ends up in what is some weird middle ground. It is one of those films that is neither very good nor very bad. Gere makes it somewhat worthwhile but there is only so much an actor can do with a script he did not write. Any Gere fans should be on the lookout for it. Others should be warned of the lack of logic and intelligent writing.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language, brief violent images and drug use)
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