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 the detectives are talking on the bridge at the scene of the accident, the shadows of the camera crew are visible on the detective's backs.

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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

Featured in Film 2013: Episode dated 27 February 2013 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"I See Who You Are"
Performed by Björk
Written by Björk and Mark Bell
Published by Universal-PolyGram International Publishing, Inc. on behalf of Universal Music Publishing Ltd. (ASCAP) and EMI Virgin Music Ltd.
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group by arrangement with Warner Music Group
Film & TV Licensing, Polydor Ltd. (UK) under license from Universal Music Enterprises and One Little Indian Records/Wellhart (Overseas) Ltd.

User Reviews

A Wonderful, Powerful Character Study

"What's your price?" The question haunts Richard Gere's character of Robert Miller, a vain hedge fund manager married to Ellen (Susan Sarandon) and preparing to hand down his business dynasty to his daughter Brooke (Brit Marling). That is, until a freak accident with his mistress coincides with a self-perpetrating fraud scandal. Now confronted with unprecedented stress, Miller has to fight to keep his family and business intact.

Richard Gere's absence on the Oscar nomination stage for the entirety of his career will hopefully be ended with this stunning character study. Gere is in perfect form, personifying a complicated man who for once sees the results of his narcissistic actions. While his empire crumbles, his personal life goes the same way. Every scene Gere is in brings to light just how powerful an actor he is.

But an actor would be nothing without a powerful script. The author of the film's screenplay is also the film's director, Nicholas Jarecki, the co-author of the 2009 film adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis film "The Informers". In his largest film yet, Jarecki keeps with themes of arrogance that comes with power. The script moves at a brisk pace, keeping your attention and leaving you nearly breathless once you've reached the conclusion.

Cinematography and setting blend easily into the background of these character's actions. New York City is brought to live, as she has countless times before, as the epicenter and culmination of the good and the bad. But what sets the screen apart from any other NYC-set film is the fact that nothing seems to be done to make NYC any more like NYC. The film's version of the city is exactly how it is in real life.

Susan Sarandon, still as beautiful as ever, steals her scenes as Miller's powerful wife. As does Brit Marling and especially Nate Parker, newcomers full of promise. The sole weak spot is, surprisingly, the performance of Tim Roth, the detective. His character starts the film with a Brooklyn-type accent. In his second scene Roth seems to attain his native Cockney accent, then lose it as the film progresses. He ends with a bizarre jumble of both.

"Arbitrage" is an intelligent, engaging thriller about the depths of bad decisions made from the arrogance of power. It is a must-see of the 2012 film season.