Short Cut Review: Arbitrage

A Short Cut Movie Review is normally less than 400 words, but in some cases may go slightly over. This is my attempt to keep writing about as many films as I see without getting bogged down with trying to find more to say. They are meant to be brief snapshots of my reaction to a movie without too much depth.

Richard Gere as a wealthy hedge fund manager whose company is secretly hiding losses of $400 billion in order to complete a successful sale. Then he gets into further trouble when he crashes the car carrying himself and his mistress. She dies, putting in jeopardy his chances of selling his company and avoiding financial ruin for himself and his family. It's a smart and taut thriller, a well-made genre picture, but ultimately lacking in anything truly creative or groundbreaking. I also had trouble buying into a lot of the character development. Tim Roth gives a bizarre performance as a New York police detective. I don't know from where he drew the inspiration for the character's uneven and strange accent and his caveman-like manner, but it was a mistake.