This a prime example of stylish drama that likely appeals more to mature audience. The characters are believable and acting is as steady as the credits suggest. Best of all, the moral of the story is that there isn't any.

A second rate entertainment masquerading as an A list movie. Arbitrage is like a routine episode of a low grade tv drama series complete with an ineffectual detective here played by Tim Roth. Richard Gere seems to be forever walking somewhere, and Susan Sarandon is quite frankly wasted aside from the last confrontational scene with Gere which is probably the best scene in the film. The abrupt ending just reinforces just how futile the whole enterprise is.… Expand

This movie is based off its fantastic performances. Richard Gere gives one of his best performance's striking the right balance between likable and unlikable. I also really enjoyed the performance of Tim Roth.

This is a portrait of a man and a milieu, not a didactic, finger-pointer; and as such, as showing the story, not just telling us how to think, the film works beautifully. I felt convinced by it, saw it as a compelling and timely
tale that will be repeated again and again. Gere was mesmerizing.

So shocked at some of the poor reviews here! The movie is excellent. It is a classic thriller. The young actor playing Jimmy is brilliant, the next Denzel Washington!

Richard Gere was at his best. In fact the whole cast were very good. Tim Roth was a pit bull. Love Tim he always delivers!

Disappointing: expecting much more in terms of story. Could've have done without the mistress. Plenty of tension and complications could have been built entirely around deceptions and fraud and resultant tensions within family and relations with/negotiations with/deceptions of employees and tentative business partners. I expected far more info regarding how such fraud works. In movie critics' reviews saw that "Law &Order" mentioned several times: this movie seemed like a more highly financed episode of L&O.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What a disappointment! Considering the cast -- and the start of the film -- I was expecting a smart, edgy tale of corrupt financiers gone amok in the Big Apple. What I got was yet another melodrama about a middle-aged slickster whose affair with a younger woman takes a tragic turn, and his machinations to avoid the consequences. It's been done better by everyone from Adrian Lyne to Woody Allen. Actually, it's been done better on TV series like "Damages."… Expand

This film will keep your interest, but it drags in places, makes you wonder about the poor choices of the main character, and sort of ends with a plop. I expected a better film. That said, a recommended rental.

What we have here is Richard Gere being cool and looking stylish is expensive suits. The plot is awfully mundane- and frustratingly morally ambiguous, but the actors are very good here- and more importantly Arbitrage is believable. It doesn't feel like watching a movie.

Works well in that it makes you root for a completely unsympathetic character. Richard Gere is superb and largely to thank for that. A solid thriller.

On the positive side, this film has strong acting, stylish directing, impeccable production values. The individual scenes are very well written and the dialog is crisp and authentic. On the negative side, Richard Gere's character has no redeeming value and is hard to embrace as an audience member. He is a man without a shred of moral duty or a sense of right and wrong. So it's difficult to become invested in a character who is so utterly repugnant. He could very well be accurately drawn, but so could a well crafted oil painting of a maggot.… Expand

What can I say? I like Richard Gere. He's the man. And with all pistons fired he is phenomenal on screen.
This movie was a well crafted story. Definite proof that we don't need to blow up half a planet to keep your audience's interest. From opening to closing you get the clear feeling that something is going to go very wrong here. The thriller element is clearly there. The characters smart, and the decisions made along the way a perfect balance between surprise and predictability. Even you plot geniuses out there can feel smart following along.
I particularly loved the ending. It went somewhere I didn't expect it to go. The definition of the true monetary American hero.
By the way, what is an Applebee's?... Classic.… Expand

Jarecki definitely achieves a dramatic tension that many thriller directors and writers struggle to capture but unfortunately he falls short with his choice of audience placement. In a brave move, Jarecki has not only positioned the audience with a man who is essentially the unlikeable, guilty party, but he

This is perhaps one of the worst films of the year. The script is poor; the ending is non-existent; Susan Sarandon flounces around in ill-fitting and unbecoming clothes. Were Richard Gere no a handsome man, this film would have gone immediately to video.

A tight script, good performances from Gere, Roth, Margolin. A Bernie Madoff type trying to stitch up his financial empire and life before it unravels. Will this slick Willy get caught or will he be able to dodge the consequences by browbeating, bullying, mesmerizing his way out of serious trouble? Yeah he reminds us of Gecko, and he's nothing like Bernie except in life style, in fact compared to Bernie he's a lightweight multi- millionaire. But he runs into the integrity of two people he can't shine the shoes of: his daughter, who won't go down with him and a wannabe middle class Black kid who is so tied into loyalty, gratitude, and guilt that he's very reluctantly willing to sacrifice himself. It's worth seeing if just to see a Master of the Universe walk the high wire over his own demise.… Expand

Starting with his supporting role in

WHAT IS ARBITRAGE? While the definition of the word is appropriate for the shrewd transactions conducted by Richard Gere in this film, a better title with a more commonly used word might have been better. But then, the abrupt ending killed all hope for ARBITRAGE. Potentially a great movie with lots of suspense, it is an absolute letdown during the last three minutes. If the Directors and Producers could take it back and redo the ending the film would be destined for unique greatness.… Expand

"Arbitrage" stars Richard Gere as Miller an immoral business tycoon (is there any other kind?) and Susan Sarrandon as is dutiful wife (is there any other kind?) and how theirs lives seemingly come apart after an accident that could lead to a homicide charge against Miller. Much like we watch people's lives unravel on Oprah or Springer, we are mesmerized as we watch Miller betray anyone