DIR/WRI: Nicholas Jarecki • PRO: Laura Bickford, Robert Salerno, Kevin Turen, Justin Nappi • DOP: Yorick Le Saux • ED: Douglas Crise • DES: Beth Mickle • Cast: Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, Brit Marling, Nate Parker, Bruce Altman
As we look back over the past 12 months at some of the worst comedies that have graced our cinema screens, there are two films that will feature quite prominently. The Adam Sandler vehicle That’s My Boy and the star-laden Movie 43 were widely panned by critics and audiences, with the latter in particular sparking much debate about the involvement of so many A-List performers in what was a seemingly torturous experience for all concerned.
Theories have abounded as to how exactly the producers of Movie 43 (and indeed That’s My Boy) managed to secure the services of some many talented actors and actresses, although Peter Farrelly’s explanation that the participants of the former were ‘guilted to death’ is probably the most plausible.
A-Listers appearing in films that seems well below their usual standards is nothing new, however, and it is often suggested that they agree to take part in certain films because they know a much more worthy role is about to come their way.
Nicholas Jarecki’s debut feature, Arbitrage, could be viewed as one such example, as it features top-of-the-range performances from Movie 43’s Richard Gere and That’s My Boy star Susan Sarandon.
Gere takes on the role of Robert Miller, a multi-billionaire who manages a hedge fund with his daughter Brooke (Brit Marling), with Sarandon co-starring as his long-suffering wife. With his 60th birthday having just passed, Miller is locked in a deal to sell the fund for an extremely large profit, but unbeknownst to those involved in his company (including his own daughter), he has cooked his own books in order to cover an investment loss, making his upcoming transaction all the more crucial to his future.
If these dodgy dealings are discovered, he faces the possibility of being imprisoned for fraud, but even greater trouble lurks on the horizon for Miller when he is involved in a late-night car crash with his mistress (Laetitia Casta). When she is killed as a result of the impact, Miller abandons the scene (realising that he could be implicated in her death), covers his tracks as much as possible, and enlists the help of a friend from his past to drop him back to his New York home.
His efforts to sweep this incident under the carpet are not entirely successful, though, and the suspicion of his wife and NYPD detective Detective Bryer (Tim Roth) are raised, leading to a hectic few days for the troubled Miller.
On paper, the combination of novice filmmaker Jarecki and screen veteran Richard Gere was a curious one that had the potential to produce mixed results. However, it has turned out to be a winning partnership as the 33-year-old Jarecki provides the tools for Gere to construct one of the most engaging and richly textured performances of his highly accomplished career to date.
In the past, his abilities as an actor has been the subject of intense scrutiny, but Gere has always been at his best when playing conflicted or morally ambiguous characters, with the most obvious examples being his iconic roles in American Gigolo, Breathless, Internal Affairs and Days of Heaven, as well as Lasse Hallstrom’s much underrated, The Hoax.
The character of Robert Miller is very much in this mould, and the Pennsylvania actor clearly relishes playing a man that has allowed himself to become compromised on so many different levels.
However, one of the great traits that Gere has generated in his 38 years working in cinema is his likeability factor, and although there are several moments throughout Arbitrage when your appreciation of a two-timing, corrupt businessman are brought in to question, the Pretty Woman star ensures that you symphatise heavily with his situation.
Arbitrage is by no means a solo effort, though, as Sarandon is also on top form as the put upon spouse, who is not entirely enamoured with the ventures that her husband and daughter are involved in, but nonetheless benefits financially from her husband’s elevated status.
Marling (who is best known for strong central portrayal in the indie-spirited Another Earth) provides plenty of brio and verve as Miller’s offspring, while Roth is on hand to supply the appropriate level of threat that the script requires.
There are occasional mis-steps in the overall package, but with strong acting across the board, confident direction from Jarecki, and a screenplay as sharp as anything you are likely to see in the early months of 2013, Arbitrage is a highly accomplished offering from a very promising director, and serves as a welcome reminder of what Gere and Sarandon are capable of when they place themselves in the right environment.
Daire Walsh
Arbitrage is released on 1st March 2013.
