Arbitrage

“Arbitrage” is a film written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki and stars Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth.. The word “arbitrage” is defined as “the simultaneous purchase and sale of an asset in order to profit from a difference in the price”. As a result the title of the film doesn’t really coincide with the story it tells. In fact, the only thing the word and the story have in common is that they both take place in the financial world…and that’s where the similarity ends. This is a tale of high level finance and personal drama that will hold your interest regardless of the sometimes concocted plot variances. A superb performance by Tim Roth, a predictable performance by Mr. Gere and a somewhat miscast Susan Sarandon neither add nor detract from the ability of the film to hold your interest since the writing, but for a few flaws, is quite good. The test of any movie is “Did I enjoy the experience” and to this I answer “yes”. Of special note is the fact that, instead of going to the local AMC theater, I watched it on the television set in my den as a result of an arrangement the distributor, Lionsgate, apparently made with Time Warner Cable so that with “On Demand” capability, I watched the film in the relaxed atmosphere of my den even though it was concurrently in its initial theatrical release in local movie houses. This speaks well of the film for certainly the movie house  experience tends to enhance one’s viewing pleasure. This film’s 100 minutes of footage was easy to watch even in my own personal venue. I give the film 3 stars and recommend it regardless where you may end up seeing it.