RBR: Arbitrage

For as much as I love movies, I can't say (yet at least) that I'm an expert when it comes to old movies. So when I hear comments suggesting that a film like Arbitrage is "Hitchcockian", I can't really have an appreciation for that. The good thing is that you don't need that background to recognize that this is an excellent thriller on its own. This is the story of Robert Miller (played by Richard Gere), a hedge fund magnate who's trying to secure a deal to sell his company as he moves into retirement. While initial impressions suggest Miller has everything going for him, there are a lot of secrets lurking beneath the surface that Miller is trying to keep hidden. There is no secret that Miller is a guilty man and yet the film remains compelling to the point where you find yourself conflicted as to whether or not you want him to be caught for his transgressions. A lot of the credit goes to Gere who gives one of his best performances ever. He handles the complexities of the characters with ease as he transitions from aggressor to avoider based on the conflict he's facing. There's also a nice supporting performance by Tim Roth playing a New York detective investigating a car accident that he believes was caused by Miller. I was really invested in this film up until the very end. Director Nicholas Jarecki, who up until the final scene had shown some real talent as a director in his first feature film effort, drops the ball with a disappointingly anti-climatic finish. The ambiguity of the final scene cannot even be justified as ambigiuous for the sake of mystery. The film ends in such a way that you feel as if there was some sort of technical problem that caused the last five minutes of the film to be accidentally lopped off the reel. Despite the letdown of its conclusion, Arbitrage is still a film worth seeking out, especially given that it did not garner much attention from the public during its limited release in theaters. I think you'll agree that checking it out will be a sound investment of your time. Rating: **** 1/2

RBR: Margin Call

Some may argue that its too soon to do a movie about the 2008 financial meltdown, but when I saw the previews for this film, I thought that this would be a real winner. It boasts an impressive cast featuring the likes of Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Zachary Quinto, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci. But despite the topical nature of the film and its stellar actors, this film fell flat for me. The film which takes place within about a 24 hour period centers around a fictious financial company who comes to realize that their economic infrastructure is about to collapse. To convey this the film is basically comprised of mini dialogues where characters fret about the ramifications of this while nervously staring at figures on a computer screen. Most of the cast do their best with their performances, but the dialogue is either stilted or convulted with financial jargon. There just was no energy behind what anyone said. For a moment in history that has created such an emotional reactions from everyone involved and affected, this film fails to capture that. As a result, you don't know how to feel about what you're seeing. The film doesn't really make you feel sad, or angry, or anything for that matter. I sat there passively waiting for someone to produce a rise out of me. While the film is not without some merit, I can't exactly recommend it. The few who would have an interest in seeing this subject be turned into a film will likely be bored by this dry adaptation of those events. I'm just thankful I waited until this was on Redbox and only paid a dollar to see it instead of paying money to see it in theaters or on VOD. Now that would have been a real financial crisis! Rating: ** 1/2