#MotionPicture – Arbitrage

Arbitrage is a 2012 American crime drama film directed by Nicholas Jarecki and starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth and Brit Marling. Filming began in April 2011 in New York City. It opened in U.S. theaters in September 2012.

The plot follows the personal and professional troubles of a hedge fund manager as he approaches retirement.

New York City hedge fund magnate Robert Miller (Richard Gere) manages a fund with his daughter Brooke (Brit Marling) and is about to sell it for a handsome profit. He is having an affair with a much younger woman, gallery owner Julie Cote (Laetitia Casta), whom he has also helped financially. However, unbeknownst to Brooke and most of his other employees, Miller has cooked his company’s books and borrowed $412 million from an associate in order to cover an investment loss and avoid being arrested for fraud.

The potential buyer, James Mayfield (Graydon Carter), is stalling the process, and Miller’s lender wants to call in the loan, but Miller says he needs the money to stay in his account until the audit for the sale is complete. They schedule a meeting at a restaurant during which contracts are to be signed, and it’s the same night as Julie’s gallery show, which Miller has promised to attend. Julie continually texts and calls Miller throughout the meeting, which drags on as they wait for Mayfield to arrive. When Mayfield doesn’t show up, Miller leaves in disgust, but not before Brooke informs him that she has found some financial discrepancies in old ledgers.

Miller finally goes to Julie’s opening, but angry on his late arrival she tells him to leave. He comes back and they fight, but he convinces her to go with him on a trip upstate. Miller dozes off at the wheel and crashes the car, resulting in Julie’s death. An injured Miller almost calls 9-1-1, then realizes he must cover up his involvement. He flees the scene as the car bursts into flames. Miller calls Jimmy Grant (Nate Parker), the son of his late chauffeur, who feels loyal to Miller for paying his father’s medical bills. After Jimmy drives him home, Miller removes security camera DVDs that show his late arrival, burns his bloody clothing, then goes to bed bruised at 4:30 am, arousing wife Ellen’s (Susan Sarandon) suspicion.

The next day, Miller discusses his “hypothetical” situation with his lawyer (Stuart Margolin), who advises the hypothetical person to turn himself in, as the lies required to keep the story a secret will pile up. The lawyer also mentions that Ellen has visited an estate lawyer. Miller is later questioned by police detective Bryer (Tim Roth), who is keen on arresting him for manslaughter. Meanwhile, Brooke discovers Miller’s fraud and, realizing that she could be implicated, confronts him. Miller admits to the fraud but insists that he will handle it. Jimmy is arrested and placed before a grand jury, but still refuses to admit to helping Miller cover up the accident, although this might lead to his incriminating. Miller tells Jimmy that investors are depending on him and that waiting for the sale to close before coming forward would serve the greater good. Eventually, Miller gets himself and Jimmy out of trouble by proving that Bryer’s claimed “evidence” were false car photos bearing Jimmy’s plate number.

With the audit complete and the company in the clear for the sale, Miller meets Mayfield and they agree on a price. Later, Ellen confronts Miller and offers him a deal: if he signs a separation agreement that gives all voting rights and money to her non-profit foundation and their daughter, she will lie and say she was with him the night of the accident; if he refuses, she will tell the truth and he will go to prison. Meanwhile, Mayfield discusses a secondary audit that has been performed on Miller’s company. The report does show a problem, but Mayfield chooses to ignore it, as the sale has already been made and further scrutiny would be counter-productive to the image of his own corporation.

In the final scene, Miller addresses a banquet honoring him, with Ellen at his side and Brooke introducing him. Tension among them is evident but nobody seems to notice. Smiling as he approaches the podium to deliver his speech, the screen cuts to black.