While not quite up to the excellent Margin Call from earlier in the year, Arbitrage is a very well put together drama vehicle for Richard Gere.
He plays Robert Miller, a financial whiz whose company is secretly losing value as it is crippled by debt and bad investment.
But that's underneath his perfect family man exterior.
When we meet Miller he's arriving late to his own birthday dinner at which he proclaims how wonderful his family is and how important they are.
Of course he rushes off to meet up with his mistress Julie (Laetitia Casta), a struggling French artist, and plans to run away with her.
Miller's seemingly perfect life begins to unravel when a tragic incident threatens to expose his secret life.
Gere is the centre of this film and he carries the responsibility like the seasoned pro he is. His character is not unlike the businessman we met in Pretty Woman all those years ago, though Miller is a lot more deceitful.
In an attempt to avoid being exposed Miller steps over anyone and everyone he purports to care about - his wife Ellen (Susan Sarandon), daughter and business associate Brooke (Brit Marling), Julie of course and a young man, Jimmy (Nate Parker), who helps him out of respect for his father's association with Miller.
Then there is the NY policeman (Tim Roth) who thinks he can bring the rich high flyer down.
I could go deeper into the plot but that would spoil it, it's better not knowing what is coming. That said, there aren't any major twists.
As mentioned, it's great to watch something that doesn't rely on CGI, or vulgar humour, or comic book popularity and see a real story for a change.
Quite often the best movies are the ones that aren't hyped and that rely on the cast and the script to deliver the goods to the audience.
Arbitrage is one film that does deliver. I enjoyed it as well as being a little disturbed by the outcome. A 7.5 out of 10.
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