I watched the 2012 Lionsgate drama/thriller “Arbitrage” on Netflix DVD. This movie, although fictional, feels like a true story (and I’m sure it is a true story based on many wealthy Wall Street billionaires). It was written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki (technical consultant on Hackers, writer of The Informers, director producer writer of Crisis). His parents were stock exchange traders and his brother is a finance executive giving him a foot-in-the-door to writing this film. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival January 2012.
The story is about Robert Miller. New York hedge fund magnate, who manages a fund with his daughter Brooke. He is having an affair with gallery owner Julie Cote whom he drives (her car) out of town on an overnighter when the car is wrecked and she is killed. The cover-up ensues.
Robert Miller is Richard Gere (Looking for Mr. Goodbar, American Gigolo, An Officer and a Gentleman, The Cotton Club, Pretty Woman, First Knight, The Jackal, Runaway Bride, Autumn in New York, The Mothman Prophecies, Unfaithful, Chicago),
his daughter Brooke is played by Brit Marling (Another Earth, The Company You Keep, The East, The Better Years, I Origins, The Keeping Room, Posthumous), his lover Julie Cote is played by Laetitia Casta (French model and actress, GUESS girl and Victoria’s
Secret Angel, appeared on 100’s of magazine covers like Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Elle, Glamour and Rolling Stone, was in Chris Issak’s video for “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing”), his wife Ellen Miller is played by
Susan Sarandon (Pretty Baby, Atlantic City, Tempest, The Witches of Eastwick, Bull Durham, Thelma & Louise, The Client, Little Women, Dead Man Walking, Enchanted, Speed Racer, Snitch, Zoolander 2),
Detective Bryer is played by Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Rob Roy, The War Zone, Planet of the Apes, Dark Water, The Incredible Hulk, Möbius, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, TV episodes of Lie To Me, Tin Star),
Miller’s lawyer is played by Stuart Margolin (Kelly’s Heroes, Death Wish, Futureworld, Iron Eagle II, TV episodes of That Girl, The Monkees, The Partridge Family, M*A*S*H, The X-Files), and Jimmy Grant is played by
Nate Parker (Felon, Red Tails, Non-Stop, Eden, American Skin). The actors in the movie do a great job and it is believable and moves smoothly.
I enjoyed this movie and will give it 4 out of 5 stars. For more information read Wikipedia, IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
