"What the fuck is an Applebee's?" Richard Gere's billionaire investment banker CEO character asks halfway though the movie, to the man he was bribing to cover up the fact that Gere was involved in a motor vehicle accident that resulted in the death of his mistress.
Arbitrage is a film that came out five years after the collapse of the financial industry, and global capitalism was again revealed to be something reminiscent of an Akkadian blood god cult that demanded the sacrifice of the innocent in order to stave off the destruction of the world.
Well guess what, the Akkadians collapsed when they ran out of things to conquer, and the world went chugging along just fine, until the 18th century.
Gere plays a character who runs a high risk-high reward hedge fund that promises returns on investment of more than 15 percent. In the midst of negoatiating a $500 million merger with a bank, he happens to pull a Chappaquidick while with his mistress, and his daughter (who happens to be the Chief Investment Officer (nepotism)) uncovers Gere's recent 'cooking of the books' AKA fraud.
Tim Roth plays a detective out to nail Gere to the wall while possessing one of the most hilarious New York accents I have ever heard.
A tight 1 hr 45 mins, Arbitrage was really good. A provocative amoral tale of business and family loyalty, if you need something to discuss around one of your gay little socialist pow-wows i totally recommend it. Secondary characters include Susan Sarandon, the asshole teacher from Malcolm in the Middle, and that black guy i really like whose name I can't remember. He was in an episode of Criminal Intent, playing a cool professor.
would read again 6/10
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