The Agency's Posts

Fast & Furious 6: High-speed series still thrills, critics say: Showing no signs of slowing down -- quite literally -- the "Fast & Furious"....
Read More>

Outside the Comfort Zone and Into Sketch Comedy: Amy Schumer, a breath of foul-mouthed fresh air as a stand-up comic, seems noticeably less....
Read More>

Don’t Bring Daddy to School for Vocation Day: ‘The Iceman,’ With Michael Shannon as Richard Kuklinski In “The Iceman”
Read More>

One Last Cringe for The Office Finale: LOS ANGELES — Sometime in Season 3 of “The Office,” its creator, Greg....
Read More>

Adult Head Games, Focused on a Child: Henry James’s short novel “What Maisie Knew” was suggested by a friend’s
Read More>

Bang, Boom: Terrorism as a Game: Right before I saw “Iron Man 3,” a publicist implored the several hundred attendees....
Read More>

Model Moves Bootcamp - May 11th: Get $100 discount for Model Moves Commercial Boot Camp on May 11th. Please join me, Shawn....
Read More>

Paladino Casting Workshop - How to Book the Job: ***HOW TO BOOK THE JOB** Do you have the passion, talent, and drive, but aren't....
Read More>

Iron Man 3: Don Cheadle and Avengers 2: Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes has been a minor, though important, character in the &ldq
Read More>

Tonys: That Hollywood-Broadway transition is harder than it looks: NEW YORK -- When Shia LaBeouf dropped out of the Broadway revival “Orphans” because....
Read More>

'Pain & Gain' is No. 1 in U.S.; 'Iron Man 3' opens huge abroad: Star power didn't do much to attract moviegoers to the multiplex this weekend, as two....
Read More>

Baz Luhrmann wants to 'reveal' more of 'The Great Gatsby': The Directors: The filmmaker is concerned with what's in the novel — and what isn't. He....
Read More>

‘Iron Man 3′: Tony Stark lives by his wits in Marvel’s latest: Robert Downey Jr. stood frozen in pain after leaping onto a platform of an oil tanker on the....
Read More>

'Pain & Gain' to strong-arm rivals at weekend box office: There will likely be less pain than gain for Paramount Pictures at the box office this....
Read More>
Review: Richard Gere's rich villain fun to watch in 'Arbitrage'
Posted on: 09/17/12
Share/Save/Bookmark
 

The actor turns in one of his best performances as a hedge-fund magnate whose moneyed world is upended amid personal and professional turmoil.



It's slightly depressing that some of the most riveting recent disaster films are dramas driven by precisely the sort of deceit that helped derail Wall Street. Last year there was the extraordinarily callous desperation of "Margin Call's" moneymen. Now comes "Arbitrage," taking a sophisticated swing at a hedge-fund magnate who is bankrolled by, and bets with, other people's money.

Writer-director Nicholas Jarecki squarely lands that punch, creating a tense and chilling horror story for financially fraught times. A seething Richard Gere stars as a financial puppet master suddenly reeling from his own power plays.

As drama goes, "Arbitrage" is a refined affair. The plot is a maze of brokered relationships, professional and personal alike, Jarecki's storytelling is peppered with the lingo of financial brinkmanship, and there is hubris in every move made by Gere's Robert Miller, an antihero bloodied and unbowed. Jarecki has given Miller a little humanity, so he's not quite as easy to root against as, say, Gordon Gekko in 1987's "Wall Street." Still, there is a lot to loathe.

The movie opens with the sleek silver-haired fox on one of those fawning TV news magazine shows. He's got the corporate jet, the town car, the town house, the proper family. He seems at ease with his wealth and position, but underneath fires are raging. The acquisition of his billion-dollar enterprise awaits the stroke of a pen, and the buyer, a mysterious Mayfield, is stalling. (In an ironic cameo, "Vanity Fair's" Graydon Carter plays Mayfield; Jarecki counts the magazine's coverage of the Wall Street implosion among his inspirations.)

Despite Robert's titan-of-industry mien, it is the women in his life that rule his world. Susan Sarandon, whom we don't see nearly enough of anymore, is wife Ellen, overseeing charities and keeping the home fires burning. Daughter Brooke, played by an excellent Brit Marling, who literally wrote (or rather co-wrote) her way out of obscurity with the 2011 indie hit"Another Earth," is a brilliant analyst who works by her adored father's side. His mistress, Julie, an artistic beauty portrayed by the arresting French model-turned-actressLaetitia Casta, is already complicating his life. And that's before the late-night car crash that will end one life and put Robert's in even greater jeopardy.

The surrogate for our outrage and the man intent on holding Robert accountable, at least for the accident — there is also an audit of his money manipulations threatening — is Det. Michael Bryer (Tim Roth). And in case the anything-can-be-bought issues aren't black and white enough for you yet, the guy Robert calls to pick him up that night is Jimmy Grant (Nate Parker), a Harlem kid the mogul once helped out of a jam, some sort of debt to the kid's dad.

The pleasure comes in watching as the screws tighten. Robert's world, like the markets he's played, begins shattering, his power to control high-risk situations ceases to work and the money that used to make problems disappear is suddenly worthless. It's fun watching him squirm.

As for Gere, he should play the bad guy more often. In allowing his duplicitous mogul to register, and regret, the pain he has caused, the actor has quite possibly never been better. As each domino falls around him, the tension takes hold in small, careful movements that mask the inner turmoil as he works his jaw, adjusts his coat, snaps at anyone who suggests he reconsider the risks while he can. That he loves the wife he cheats on, the daughter he betrays, the mistress he disappoints is never in question. That he loves himself more is a given. Gere makes the study of the man mesmerizing.

The conflicts themselves become the driving mechanism. As the stakes rise, the film shifts into a series of escalating "how could you?" moments and the transitions occasionally get rocky. There are scenes when the screen fades to black so abruptly it feels as if the director has momentarily run into a problem he couldn't quite solve.

Nevertheless it's an impressive feature directing debut for the filmmaker, who first made a name for himself in 2005 with "The Outsider," a cheeky Showtime documentary on indie filmmaking, another risky business. Jarecki has given "Arbitrage" the lux sheen of new money and a polish not seen in his earlier work. Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, who brought such gritty street reality to another bad guy in 2011's "Carlos," shoots a New York that is crisp and cool.

Throughout the crafting of this chaos is contemporary and clever. Yet the message in "Arbitrage" is an old one — money is still the root of all evil, and whatever payback comes as a result, it is never enough.

betsy.sharkey@latimes.com


COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal