Arbitrage

Lionsgate | Release Date: September 14, 2012

6.9	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 88 Ratings

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User Reviews

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hsg9000Dec 3, 2012

On the positive side, this film has strong acting, stylish directing, impeccable production values. The individual scenes are very well written and the dialog is crisp and authentic. On the negative side, Richard Gere's character has noOn the positive side, this film has strong acting, stylish directing, impeccable production values. The individual scenes are very well written and the dialog is crisp and authentic. On the negative side, Richard Gere's character has no redeeming value and is hard to embrace as an audience member. He is a man without a shred of moral duty or a sense of right and wrong. So it's difficult to become invested in a character who is so utterly repugnant. He could very well be accurately drawn, but so could a well crafted oil painting of a maggot.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

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cameronmorewoodDec 13, 2012

What we have here is Richard Gere being cool and looking stylish is expensive suits. The plot is awfully mundane- and frustratingly morally ambiguous, but the actors are very good here- and more importantly Arbitrage is believable. It doesn'tWhat we have here is Richard Gere being cool and looking stylish is expensive suits. The plot is awfully mundane- and frustratingly morally ambiguous, but the actors are very good here- and more importantly Arbitrage is believable. It doesn't feel like watching a movie.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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warfieldJan 19, 2013

Disappointing: expecting much more in terms of story. Could've have done without the mistress. Plenty of tension and complications could have been built entirely around deceptions and fraud and resultant tensions within family and relationsDisappointing: expecting much more in terms of story. Could've have done without the mistress. Plenty of tension and complications could have been built entirely around deceptions and fraud and resultant tensions within family and relations with/negotiations with/deceptions of employees and tentative business partners. I expected far more info regarding how such fraud works. In movie critics' reviews saw that "Law &Order" mentioned several times: this movie seemed like a more highly financed episode of L&O.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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JerzeeGuySep 21, 2012

WHAT IS ARBITRAGE? While the definition of the word is appropriate for the shrewd transactions conducted by Richard Gere in this film, a better title with a more commonly used word might have been better. But then, the abrupt ending killedWHAT IS ARBITRAGE? While the definition of the word is appropriate for the shrewd transactions conducted by Richard Gere in this film, a better title with a more commonly used word might have been better. But then, the abrupt ending killed all hope for ARBITRAGE. Potentially a great movie with lots of suspense, it is an absolute letdown during the last three minutes. If the Directors and Producers could take it back and redo the ending the film would be destined for unique greatness.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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oblique15Jun 29, 2013

It`s a decent movie but the problem is it`s hard to root for anybody. Only one character I cared about, but he was not in no lead role. It`s worth watching but nothing ground breaking about this movie

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Mr_MuumiMar 28, 2013

This a prime example of stylish drama that likely appeals more to mature audience. The characters are believable and acting is as steady as the credits suggest. Best of all, the moral of the story is that there isn't any.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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MovieGuysApr 13, 2014

Arbitrage is a generic Richard Gere thriller that seems a bit unfocused and scattered, but somewhat comes together in the end. It's predictable, melodramatic, but the acting is pretty good, as many stars are in this one (Gere, Sarandon,Arbitrage is a generic Richard Gere thriller that seems a bit unfocused and scattered, but somewhat comes together in the end. It's predictable, melodramatic, but the acting is pretty good, as many stars are in this one (Gere, Sarandon, Roth). The story veers off course in the middle parts and starts to get away from Gere's character, even though this was a path the movie shouldn't have taken. Overall, the film is average. Only watch it if you like Richard Gere enough.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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DawdlingPoetNov 27, 2021

This is a finance related drama film, with themes covered including accidental death, blackmail and white collar crime. The first thought I had about this film was that its about a family man, a caring person who is clearly also motivated byThis is a finance related drama film, with themes covered including accidental death, blackmail and white collar crime. The first thought I had about this film was that its about a family man, a caring person who is clearly also motivated by money and, thus, greed - how can you be both? hmmm...how original, a moral tale of our times(!). It did seem like a relatively bland film but then a pivotal plot twist happens and I found myself more interested to see what happened to Robert, what his reaction would be. The saying 'the truth will out' is quite key in relation to this film, I feel. However, what that entails isn't necessarily as obvious as you may think.

Cast wise, Robert Miller is played by Richard Gere. He depicts Robert as quite a vulnerable person shortly after a certain turn of events - he loses his cocky and self assured veneer, certainly in the short term. It is very much a film which makes you wonder quite how you'd react if you were in his shoes - I'm not convinced I can say I found Robert to be an especially appealing person as such but his performance seemed alright. He certainly seems like quite a slippery type of a figure at times, sometimes quite human and other times much more the opposite (which is to say a smooth talker, or ultimately worried about himself getting in to trouble or losing some of his mass wealth(!)). Other cast members include Susan Sarandon as his partner, Ellen and Tim Roth as the cop in charge of a case involving Robert - detective Michael Bryer. He suits the role well, as he both looks and sounds the part of a NYPD detective. I'm not entirely sure I can explain precisely why but I felt he did anyway.

As a character focussed drama, its alright. I suppose its true what people say about one person owning many masks (metaphorically speaking), which is well depicted here. I quite liked Tim Roths character, how he tried to get under Roberts skin (again figuratively speaking, of course!) and I found myself wondering quite how things would play out, which is a good sign. It is, I suppose, a reasonably watchable film but the plot is a bit slow and it won't appeal to everyone, especially if character driven dramas and, more specifically, those about not entirely endearing people, aren't your proverbial 'bag'.

Content wise, the film contains sex references and partial nudity but nothing especially graphic. There are some scenes depicting drug use, with a character shown taking cocaine being one example. There are also some violent scenes, mostly confined to one scene fairly early on in the plot - a bloody wound is shown and Roberts various bruise marks are shown as well. There is also quite a lot of strong language used. Otherwise, there are scenes featuring characters threatening one another but otherwise not a great amount of content especially likely to upset or frighten people. The tone of the film in general is somewhat unsettling, questioning perhaps in terms of the morality of the main character but I wouldn't have thought people would find it especially visually disturbing. It carries a 15 rating in the UK, due to this.

I'm not sure that I'd specifically recommend this film, as I feel there are other films covering similar themes that are a bit less bland and maybe a little more thought provoking. The main character being a less than especially impressive man made me less than overly keen on it, although it was quite a watchable film (perhaps surprisingly so) and one or two of the other characters somewhat made up for that perhaps. Overall, I'd say look around for a better alternative to this film, as im pretty sure there are a good few out there.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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