The definition of arbitrage is:
“The
simultaneous purchase and sale of an asset in order to profit from a
difference in the price. It is a trade that profits by exploiting
price differences of identical or similar financial instruments, on
different markets or in different forms.”
In
other words, arbitrage is yet another way of making money without
actually producing anything of value. In the film “Arbitrage,”
securities trader Robert Miller (Richard Gere) has grown rich this
way, but his latest scheme has not worked out well. In order to hide
the losses from a bad bet that was against his own company's rules,
he is selling the company. With altered account books and with
secretly borrowed money in the bank, he hopes to fool his potential
buyers and leave them with the losses. Miller needs everything to
remain stable and quiet until the sale can go through, but fate is
against him. First his daughter becomes suspicious of the company's
books, then Miller gets into a car accident in which his mistress
dies. This random mistake threatens to kill the buyout deal, which
would leave Miller with no way to cover his losses, and ultimately
lead to jail time for fraud. With the clock ticking, Miller
scrambles to protect a web of lies that grows to threaten his family,
his friends, and his freedom.
“Arbitrage”
would never work without an actor of Richard Gere's caliber, because,
really, there is nothing to admire about Robert Miller. His
self-image and the image he projects to the world is of this
patriarch, this wise lion of the financial industry. Really, though,
he's just a guy who gambles with other people's money and likes to
screw a young woman on the side. He's a fraud, and cheering on his
efforts to maneuver his own labyrinth is ultimately an un-rewarding
experience. Robert Miller is surrounded by people who are much
better human beings than he is, but alas, he is the protagonist, so
it's him we have to follow as the sordid tale wends its way. More
unfortunate is that while Miller is lousy, he isn't evil enough to be
really interesting. Even with Richard Gere trying desperately to
liven the guy up, he isn't nearly as compelling as the Frances
Underwood character from “House of Cards.”
As
ably acted and directed as it is, “Arbitrage” is ultimately a
milquetoast thriller. Nothing in it will make you groan, but there's
nothing in it to compel you to watch it either.
2.5
stars out of 5
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