Arbitrage (2012)

A troubled hedge fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire makes an error that forces him to turn to an unlikely person for help.

Director:

Nicholas Jarecki

Writer:

Nicholas Jarecki

Stars:

Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Gere	...	Robert Miller
Susan Sarandon	...	Ellen Miller
Tim Roth	...	Det. Michael Bryer
Brit Marling	...	Brooke Miller
Laetitia Casta	...	Julie Côte
Nate Parker	...	Jimmy Grant
Stuart Margolin	...	Syd Felder
Chris Eigeman	...	Gavin Briar
Graydon Carter	...	James Mayfield
Bruce Altman	...	Chris Vogler
Larry Pine	...	Jeffrey Greenberg
Curtiss Cook	...	Det. Mills
Reg E. Cathey	...	Earl Monroe
Felix Solis	...	A.D.A. Deferlito
Tibor Feldman	...	Judge Rittenband

Storyline

Robert Miller is a successful financial businessman with a loving wife and a smart daughter ready to take over the family business. Professional secrets involving illegal fraudulent activities start coming out at the same time that Robert's personal secrets take a turn for the worse and threaten to derail everything he has achieved.

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Plot Keywords:

dead woman with eyes open | adultery | involuntary manslaughter | fleeing the scene of an accident | dead woman | 

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Taglines:

Power is the best alibi.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, brief violent images and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mentiras mortales

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,002,165 (USA) (14 September 2012)

Gross:

$7,918,283 (USA) (11 January 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Green Room Films, Treehouse Pictures, Parlay Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Nate Parker won Best Supporting Actor from the 2012 African-American Film Critics' Association awards.

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Goofs

When Julie is talking with Robert in her room, her belt is first buckled right to left, then a few seconds later it is buckled left to right.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Maria Bartiromo: But you took a huge bet on the housing crisis in the middle of the biggest boom in housing anybody has ever seen. Why?
Robert Miller: I'm a child of the '50s. My father welded steel for the Navy, and my mother worked at the V.A. They lived through the Depression, Pearl Harbor, and the bomb. They didn't think that bad things might happen. They knew that bad things would happen.
Maria Bartiromo: Is that what's happening now?
Robert Miller: When I was a kid, my favorite teacher was Mr. James. Mr. James said world events all ...

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Connections

Referenced in The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Just One More Chance"
Performed by Billie Holiday, Ray Ellis and Orchestra
Lyrics by Sam Coslow and Music by Arthur Johnston
Published by Sony/ATV Harmony
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

The Silver Fox is Slippery

Greetings again from the darkness. Most of us don't tread in the world of corporate greed, deceit and fraud that defines the now four years ago financial crisis. Twenty five years ago Gordon Gekko in Wall Street put a face to corporate greed. Writer/Director Nicholas Jarecki now gives us Robert Miller, as portrayed by Richard Gere, for the face of Wall Street fraud ... the step beyond greed that Bernie Madoff made famous. Toss in a Chappaquiddick-type tragedy and it's abundantly clear that Robert Miller is no modern day saint.

No matter how much we would prefer it to be otherwise, there is something to the charisma and emotional power of the few who seize control as politicians, CEO's and cult leaders ... all subjects of recent films. During this film, we never once doubt that Gere's Miller is a scam artist with power. He is not a good guy, despite his warm smile as he says all the right things to his family and close circle of advisors. We are sickened that he is able to fool so many. Yet, the reason this story is so familiar is that it rings so true.

Watching Miller's house of cards slowly crumble is both fascinating and nerve-racking. We aren't rooting for him, but we still get caught up in his web of deceit. His demented sense of "responsibilities" guide him down the path of betrayal ... a path that stomps on his all-knowing wife, his ultra-trusting daughter, his sensitive mistress, and a young guy just trying to get his life in order.

The supporting cast is strong led by Susan Sarandon as the wife, Brit Marling (Another Earth) as the daughter, and Tim Roth as the crusty NY Detective trying to catch the big fish. However, this is Gere's film and he delivers his best in years. It's also great to see Stuart Margolin, who was so entertaining as Angel in The Rockford Files back in the 70's. Another interesting casting choice has long time "Vanity Fair" editor Graydon Carter as the head of the financial institution looking to purchase Miller's company.

Again, the individual pieces of the story are all quite familiar, but filmmaker Jarecki does a nice job of assembling the pieces in a manner that keep us engaged. It's a nice example of how the rules are different for the rich, and show how the worst of them even think they can get away with murder! (www.MovieReviewsFromTheDark.wordpress.com)