A watchable if scarcely credible thriller set in the high-rolling financial world, centring on Richard Gere's patriarchal mega-rich New York financier looking to close one last deal on his 60th birthday, the sale of his family business, before retiring. But of course there are complications, firstly, he's borrowed over $400 million to plug a big hole in his business balance sheet and needs the company sale to the mysterious and elusive Mr Mayfield to go through to cover his tracks, but not before his daughter, an executive in the business, gets wind of the cover-up. Then there's his inevitable affair with a pretty young French art dealer with a cocaine habit and apparent attention deficit syndrome ready to bring matters to a head if he doesn't start putting her first. Then fate takes an unlikely hand as he falls asleep at the wheel while driving his lover to a love-nest, the resultant crash killing her outright in the process, whereupon he involves a young black ex-felon who owes him a favour and who agrees to again help cover up his tracks in the face of a determined police investigation led by Tim Roth as a disgruntled, stop-at-nothing detective.Stylishly directed in and around New York, it's well acted by its name cast, but ultimately it implodes with just too much dramatic incident in too little time reducing the believability of events. For instance, would the police really fake a vital piece of evidence just to nail this particular billionaire when there are clearly no other suspects to the girl's death? Do financiers like Gere's Robert Harris and his deliverer Mayfield really close business by agreeing written terms on the back of a restaurant menu.Still, regardless of the"sexing-up" of what is probably the very mundane and arcane world of high finance and hedge funds, all the various strands were pulled together nicely, plus you can take your pick of which famous family dynasty from which the writers drew inspiration for the Miller family.There was little here we've not seen lately in various TV mini-series where the action would have been spread over ten 50 minute episodes and telescoped here into a 100 minute movie probably overegged the pudding but nonetheless Gere makes you watch his character's increasingly desperate attempts at survival from beginning to end in an above average thriller.

Tense drama thriller 'Arbitrage' bounds along with constant forward momentum, and it's all anchored by a tremendous performance from Richard Gere, firing on all cylinders and delivering a late-career surge showing what he's capable of. He stars as New York hedge-fund magnate Robert Miller who appears to be as happy as his position in life suggests: a happily married, philanthropic businessman, husband, and father. However, it quickly becomes apparent that all is not as it seems. He's having an affair with a young artist, and is trying to complete the sale of his trading empire before all his fraudulent dealings can be revealed for all to see. Then an awfully timed accident occurs, sending his life spiralling out of control…With Tim Roth playing a determined detective and Susan Sarandon the unknowing wife, the tension is soon palpable – a persistent fog obscuring Miller and his efforts - as Gere finds himself desperately trying to keep everything together, and we as the viewer know it can't be a happy ending, can it? The longer the film goes on, the tighter the noose becomes around the protagonist, constantly throwing your emotions back and forth between what you know is right, and what you see is wrong. That's down to Richard Gere who you can't credit enough for his portrayal here, in what is arguably his finest role and opportunity in years, rightfully earning himself a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. You simultaneously root for him to wriggle his way out of a condemning position, and loathe him for the corrupt human being he is, with lust and money the appetite of this man we have to try and understand and forgive as proceedings develop. His family gets caught up in the events in more ways than one, and yet you still want Gere to negotiate that tricky path to freedom; make the big deal and cover up his role in the tragedy at the core of the narrative.Reluctantly facing his sins, you wonder: Will he get away with it unscathed, left simply with haunting guilt, or get his deserved comeuppance, reaping the consequences for things he brought down upon himself and those around him? Either way, it's a fantastic thriller with moral undercurrents that has a suitably strong finish.8/10!

This film is a complete failure! Because the plot doesn't recognize its own roots. It is supposed to be a thriller and a thriller is based in logical thinking, you take that out and the whole thing falls apart. The most important scene to establish this thing as a thriller is an auto crash accident that happens while Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is driving on a highway with his mistress Julie Cote (Laetitia Casta) in the passenger's seat. It so happens that Robert gets injured in the body and head but Julie dies. This crucial scene and the physical happenings tell you clearly that this is an accident. His reactions are rather ambivalent, is he angry? Is he sad? Is he sorry? Is he regretful? Perhaps all of this and none of it. Impossible to tell by his reactions that are all of these and more but cool. Nevertheless Robert gets panic and acts as if he has murdered her and tries by all means to cover up the whole thing. But not only that; the script of the film takes for granted that this is a crime and that Robert has deliberate murdered Julie. Robert appears to be the leader of a huge international conglomerate of very rich companies that require solid thinking and decision making. But no, after the accident Robert acts like a teenager without experience and leaves the scene of the accident in panic because he as well as the director of this film is convinced that he is a murderer. A real guy in the shoes of Robert would've called an ambulance trying to save the life of Julie, now that would've been the normal thing to do, but then you wouldn't have had this film. The result is a film in a created and artificial environment and therefore a failure as a thriller. It would've been better for the plot and the logistics of the film to do just that, be bolder, go for it the whole way, that's when good films are created: let Robert kill Julie. She was pressing him both with money and sentimentally, that would've been enough motives to create a credible crime scene leaving the rest of the film as it is and therefore a much better thriller.

There is a rich man. He has a rich life with his family. But he loves a woman though he has his wife. He drives with the woman and he cashed into the shoulder and the woman died. He can't call an ambulance because he must not reveal his illicit love. He escapes from the car and leaves her. When he comes home, her wife doesn't care about his action. After the day, he has usual living as a rich man. But a policeman suspects him. His wife's testimony becomes important but she doesn't do easily that because she notices what he does and she wants make him follow her. At last, he does what his wife wants to do and she testified he is guilty. I think this is a story about a rich man. But I don't like such a rich man. He challenges many things but I can't see his success in this movie. I think this movie should show us more success in his business. I don't think I want to see this movie more. I don't like the last.