Saturday, September 22, 2012

Arbitrage: Cynicism as an art form

Does everyone have a price?

If you've answered "yes" to this question, you'll probably like this movie more than those who answered,"no."

Arbitrage is smooth, swift, slick and uber-cynical. It's about a Master of the Universe (Richard Gere), who's made a monumentally bad investment.

The film hinges, to some extent, on movie-goers caring about what happens to this financial schemer. Which isn't difficult for many viewers who've loved Gere unconditionally for 32 years, ever American Gigolo.

And just as this reservoir of good feeling begins evaporating in this dark film, we meet two other characters, who may actually have ethical standards.

The real strength of this edge-of-your-seat flick is the way it moves and feels like a thriller, even though not a firearm finds its way to the screen.

The weakness is the ending, which leaves a bunch of loose threads, allowing viewers to wonder who was really bought.

  

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