Arbitrage (film)

Arbitrage is a 2012 American crime drama film directed by Nicholas Jarecki and starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth and Brit Marling.[3] Filming began in April 2011 in New York City. It opened in U.S. theaters in September 2012.

For the concept in economics, see arbitrage.
Arbitrage
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNicholas Jarecki
Produced by
Written byNicholas Jarecki
Starring
Music byCliff Martinez
CinematographyYorick Le Saux
Edited byDouglas Crise
Production
company
  • Green Room Films
  • Treehouse Pictures
  • Artina Films
Distributed byLionsgate
Roadside Attractions[1]
Release date
  • January 21, 2012 (2012-01-21) (Sundance Film Festival)
  • September 14, 2012 (2012-09-14) (United States)
Running time
107 minutes
Country
  • United States
  • Poland
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million[2]
Box office$35.5 million[1]

Plot

New York City hedge fund magnate Robert Miller (Richard Gere) manages a fund with his daughter Brooke (Brit Marling) and is about to sell it for a handsome profit. He is having an affair with a much younger woman, gallery owner Julie Cote (Laetitia Casta), whom he has also helped financially. However, unbeknownst to Brooke and most of his other employees, Miller has cooked his company's books and borrowed $412 million from an associate in order to cover an investment loss and avoid being arrested for fraud.

The potential buyer, James Mayfield (Graydon Carter), is stalling the process, and his lender wants to call in the loan, but Miller says he needs the money to stay in his account until the audit for the sale is complete. They schedule a meeting at a restaurant during which contracts are to be signed, and it's the same night as Julie's gallery show, which Miller has promised to attend. Julie continually texts and calls Miller throughout the meeting, which drags on as they wait for Mayfield to arrive. When Mayfield doesn't show up, Miller leaves in disgust, but not before Brooke informs him that she has found some financial discrepancies in old ledgers.

Miller finally goes to Julie's opening, but she tells him to leave. He comes back and they fight, but he convinces her to go with him on a trip upstate. Miller dozes off at the wheel and crashes the car, resulting in Julie's death. An injured Miller almost calls 9-1-1, then realizes he must cover up his involvement. He flees the scene as the car bursts into flames. Miller calls Jimmy Grant (Nate Parker), the son of his late chauffeur, who feels loyal to Miller for paying his father's medical bills. After Jimmy drives him home, Miller removes security camera DVDs that show his late arrival, burns his bloody clothing, then goes to bed bruised at 4:30 am, arousing wife Ellen's (Susan Sarandon) suspicion.

The next day, Miller discusses his "hypothetical" situation with his lawyer (Stuart Margolin), who advises the hypothetical person to turn themselves in, as the lies required to keep the story a secret will pile up. The lawyer also mentions that Ellen has visited an estate lawyer. Miller is later questioned by police detective Bryer (Tim Roth), who is keen on arresting him for manslaughter. Meanwhile, Brooke discovers Miller's fraud and, realizing that she could be implicated, confronts him. Miller admits to the fraud, but insists that he will handle it.

Jimmy is arrested and placed before a grand jury, but still refuses to admit to helping Miller cover up the accident. Miller once again contemplates turning himself in. Even though Jimmy is about to go to prison, Miller tells him that investors are depending on him and that waiting for the sale to close before coming forward would serve the greater good. Eventually, Miller gets himself and Jimmy out of trouble by proving that Bryer fabricated evidence.

With the audit complete and the company in the clear for the sale, Miller meets Mayfield and they agree on a price. Later, Ellen confronts Miller and offers him a deal: if he signs a separation agreement that gives all voting rights and money to her non-profit foundation and their daughter, she will lie and say she was with him the night of the accident; if he refuses, she will tell the truth and he will go to prison. Meanwhile, Mayfield discusses a secondary audit that has been performed on Miller's company. The report does show a problem, but Mayfield chooses to ignore it and go forward with the sale.

In the final scene, Miller addresses a banquet honoring him, with Ellen at his side and Brooke introducing him. However, both Brooke's cold embrace and Ellen's angry expression contrast Miller's confident demeanor. Miller has not been intimidated by Ellen's attempt at blackmail. She knows as well as he does that the contract she had drawn up would make her just as liable to criminal charges if the police discovered the truth. Smiling as he approaches the podium to deliver his speech, the screen cuts to black.[4]

Cast

Reception

Box office

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions paid $2.1 million to acquire the United States rights of this film, and they spent around $3 million promoting the film's theatrical and VOD release.[5][6] The film went on grossing $7.9 million in the United States box office and $14 million in United States VOD sales.[7][8]

As of 2014, the film had grossed over $35,485,056 in the global box office.[9]

The film also outperformed financially in several areas: it set a record as the highest-grossing "day-and-date" release of all time, meaning it outperformed all other films released simultaneously in theaters and "on-demand". It also opened to a per-screen average in the United States in excess of $10,000, making it one of the highest per-screen average films of the year. It was the top film in Israel two weeks running and no. 3 in Spain two weeks running, nearing a Spanish theatrical gross of US$5 million. It broke independent box office records in many other countries including Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland.[10]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 169 critics gave the film a positive review, with the an average rating of 7.09/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Arbitrage is both a tense thriller and a penetrating character study, elevated by the strength of a typically assured performance from Richard Gere."[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

Accolades

Gere was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama at the 70th Golden Globe Awards for his performance in Arbitrage.

References
  1. "Arbitrage (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  2. "Arbitrage (2012)". The Numbers. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  3. Anderson, John (August 31, 2012). "'Arbitrage' and the Rich and Troubled Bad Guy". The New York Times.
  4. Pond, Steve (September 18, 2012). "Richard Gere: Why My Cheating 'Arbitrage' Financier Is Like Bill Clinton". The Wrap. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  5. "Film studios starting to release video-on-demand sales figures". Los Angeles Times. November 3, 2012. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.
  6. Goldstein, Gregg (January 12, 2013). "Film buyers show 'Dance haul moves".
  7. "Arbitrage (2012) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
  8. McClintock, Pamela (January 16, 2013). "Sundance 2013: How 'Arbitrage's' VOD Gamble Paid Off". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. Box Office Mojo Arbitrage. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  10. "Arbitrage (2012)". The Numbers. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  11. "Arbitrage (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  12. "Arbitrage Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
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