Arbitrage
(2012/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B- Extras: B Film: B
Not
including some great documentaries that we get almost on a monthly basis, we
are more and more getting dramas (think Boiling
Point) that are about the current series of financial crisis, how suspect
just about all of them are and the moral and ethical failures that keep leading
up to them. This filmmaking with a
conscience can not be seen enough or happen enough, but Nicholas Jarecki’s Arbitrage (2012) is among the best such
films of late and thanks to some clever marketing and releasing strategies, it
is getting talked about and seen in ways it might not otherwise.
Richard
Gere delivers one of the best performances of his career as Robert Miller, a
highly successful, happy man who has his own business that is about to be
purchased for a huge amount of money by a bank, a wife (Susan Sarandon) who he
is actually cheating on with a younger woman from overseas in the local New
York art scene, a smart & beautiful daughter (the impressive Brit Miller)
who is a lawyer working along side him at his business and all kinds of
connections that should make his life easy,
However,
he is not always paying attention to everything happening around him, working
hard to get more of what he already has and in small bits and pieces, not
always making the best judgments on how to conduct business, financial,
executive or personal. Very soon, we see
this slowly add up and after seeming invincible and untouchable in the world of
success; he makes some fatal decisions and has to figure out how to get out of
them. Then the situation gets worse and
worse.
Part
drama, part thriller, the screenplay by the director is one of the best of the
year and cleverly hints at what it is trying to say, working its way up to the
climax and payoff that is one of the best and most pointed of the year. If you are not paying attention, or so
impressed by how good this film is, you might miss it but I had heard good things
about the film and was very pleasantly surprised it more than lived up to all
the hype as well as its potential.
Tim Roth,
Nate Parker, Stuart Margolin, Graydon Carter and Larry Pine are among the fine,
extensive, convincing supporting cast and New York City becomes a character in
the film for good reasons and sometimes dark ones, but it is Gere whose
original cutting edge persona first seen in his 1970s films that very
effectively rises again. This includes
subverting his problematic turn as the happy businessman in Pretty Woman, the kind of role that
made the world his current character in this film possible by giving a seal of
approval to how they live, no matter how problematic that may be in
itself. Arbitrage is an all too rare mature adult piece of pure American
cinema and one of the best films of the year.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer can show some slight detail
issues here and there, but for the most part, this is an excellent presentation
filmed in the 3-perf Super 35mm film and set at 4K for its Digital
Intermediate. This serves the lush
locations well, but also the street scenes and achieves a consistent look like
few films we have seen this year. Director
of Photography Yorick Le Saux (Carlos,
Swimming Pool) creates a palpable
atmosphere that is among the best work of his career to date and even delivers
some demo moments for serious HD monitors and projectors.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is towards the front speakers when it
is dialogue-based, though it can go beyond that in that state. When the surrounds kick in, it is sonically
impressive with a rich soundfield and a score by Cliff Martinez (The Limey) that is very effective.
Extras
include a feature length audio commentary track by Director Jarecki, Deleted
Scenes with option Director Commentary and two featurettes: A Glimpse Into Arbitrage and Who Is Robert Miller?
- Nicholas Sheffo
