Arbitage

Okay, so I'll admit I am not the biggest Richard Gere fan. I know, shocker right? It's for the same reasons I don't particularly care for Clive Owen, there's no acting going on. They are the same guy in every movie and it gets annoying. However, again I'll admit (big time confessions) that Richard Gere BEING Richard Gere actually works in his latest film Arbitage. Written and directed nicely by first time feature film director Nicholas Jarecki, Arbitage tells the story of hedge fund manager Robert Miller and all that encompasses his world from high finance to the art world to fruad, and a crime so serious it threatens to destroy him.

Susan Sarandon (in what could be considered a come back year) plays wife Ellen Miller, a seemingly vapid wife of a billionaire. That is until all the cards are laid on the table. Brit Marling plays Robert's daughter Brooke Miller. Brooke works at her fathers firm and much like her mother has her head in the sand until she starts sniffing around the books. Robert is in talks to sell his firm to Standard Banking and Trust and his books are doctored so the deal can go through. If that happens he can then pay every one of his investors back their money without seeing any jail time. While trying to negotiate the sale he's also cheating on his wife with artist Julie Cote, played by Laetitia Casta. She is a french artist supported almost entirely by Robert and she's foolishly waiting for Robert to leave his wife.

Robert is involved in a serious crime one night and calls the only person he can think of to help him, Jimmy Grant who is played by Nate Parker. In comes Tim Roth playing Detective Michael Bryer (and seemingly reprising his role from his TV show, Lie To Me). Bryer is one of those angry, bitter cops that can't stand the wealthy and powerful and he runs this crime down like a man possessed because he knows, in his gut he knows that Robert Miller is guilty. As they say in court though, it's not what you know, it's what you can prove and Bryer is out to prove it any way he can. He harasses Jimmy almost non stop to get him to crack and talk, convinces the DA to issue a warrant to convene a Grand Jury against Jimmy, and even comes up with a piece of evidence that would send Jimmy to jail for at least ten years for something he didn't even do.

All this is going on while Robert is trying to hold everything together and sell his company. He feels that once he sells then everything will be alright because to him, money is the cure-all for every problem. He tells you that much in the beginning of the film. Being interviewed by Maria Bartiromo from CNBC he tells her of a lesson he learned in fifth grade. Everything in this world revolves around five things, M O N E Y! Now I won't give the ending away because I recommend you see it. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all by the film. The score by Cliff Martinez is a slow burning, taut one that haunts. It's subtle and perfect for the story line because the music rides the waves of Roberts emotional lows and lowers. Check out Arbitage and I'll see you at the theater.