Preview by Susan Guenther, Raglan Old School Arts Centre
A tense and captivating suspense thriller set in the rarefied world of New York’s moneyed classes, Arbitrage exposes a frantic struggle to avoid exposure of the illicit manipulation of funds.
Richard Gere stars as the handsome shady financier in a well acted moral fable about high finances, love, loyalty, ethics and the law. On the surface, charming, philanthropic, philandering patriarch, Robert Miller (Gere), appears to embody success. But all is not it seems and we are rapidly taken behind the scenes.
Miller’s desperation intensifies as the extent of his fraud spins his glide through the world of privilege and power out of control. The unraveling begins as he attempts to conceal further deceptions from the women in his life. An extravagant society wife played by Susan Sarandon, the snooping daughter and hot-tempered mistress don’t make this easy. Miller’s smooth aura of confidence eventually falters as the sudden death of one of these characters takes him into depths over his head. He now has to avoid a murder rap.
These events transpire during the week of Miller’s 60th birthday. Arbitrage takes the audience on a journey from the heights of celebration to the anguish of financial torment in an entertaining nightmare about the ruthless wrongs carried out for money. Gere’s performance takes us into the soul of a tycoon who believes money will fix everything. But money won’t fix the fear that intensifies beneath.
This first feature film by writer and director Nicholas Jarecki, son of Wall Street commodities traders, depicts the seduction of Miller’s world of wealth. The price to pay which results from the callous activities that created such a world is what seizes our attention.
Arbitrage
8.00pm Saturday 17 November and 4.30pm Sunday 18 November.
(M) offensive language 100 min
Raglan Old School Arts Centre in Stewart St. For reserves phone 825 0023 or Email info@raglanartscentre.co.nz.