Arbitrage

Arbitrage—written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki/ Starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon with Tim Roth, Brit Marling, Laetitia Casta and Nate Parker/written by /1hr40min/rated R Bifocal Review by Barbara Rich and The Other Guy (B) Arbitrage simply means buying for less and selling for more…making a profit. I had to look up that word so that I would better understand the film. For me it was a one man show. Richard Gere was the movie. The other actors such as, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth were all good, but somehow seemed to fade when Gere was on the screen. This was a reheated story that most of us have chewed on before, about an over-focused business tycoon pursuing the big power deal; then the unexpected happens. Although the film was only 1hr40min it seemed much longer. Oh, and by the way, you get to choose the ending. I give this movie two and a half binoculars. (OG) This is going to be one of those is the glass half empty or half full reviews. There were several things about the movie that I liked. First, it was written and directed by the same person and that is always a plus for me. Second, Richard Gere had an opportunity to show why he is a class-A acting star. He even overshadows some of my other favorites, such as Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth. His range of explosive emotions, as well as his ability to suppress them and to turn them off and on at will, made the whole production worth watching, which is good since the story was mostly predictible. I liked what I perceived was the main point of the movie, which all came down to a single scene in a restaurant with Gere and Edward Graydon Carter (who played Mayfield, Gere’s business competitor and potential partner). Although all manner of hell has broken out in Gere’s personal life, he still has the wherewithal to negotiate with a steely precision a deal that has been plaguing him (also) throughout the film. The importance that a true business-mad-man places on the art of arbitrage is made crystal clear by the suspension of all other calamities for this brief few minutes of multi-million dollar negotiating. Are there really people so into business that that they can focus on it, in this way, no matter what else is going on in their lives? Sadly, I think there probably are. This film just made the possibility more real for me. I too give this one 2 ½ binoculars.