Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is a Wall Street tycoon and a fraud through and through. In the middle of the proceedings of a huge business merger, he is hiding $400 million in debt, not only from the investors and the acquirers, but also from the CFO of his company, Brooke (Brit Marling) – who just happens to also be his daughter. He cheats on his wife Ellen (Susan Sarandon) with a high-maintenance trophy lover. His savvy wife knows and tolerates it, apparently convinced that it comes with being a billionaire socialite. He deceives his daughter to the point of not just jeopardizing her career, but risking her arrest and incarceration, all for one more business deal.

On an outting with his mistress, he falls asleep at the wheel and causes an unfortunate accident that sets things in motion that threaten to topple everything. His honor and his integrity are put to the test. Of course, by then the viewer already knows he does not have honor and integrity. The question is, how many innocent people around him are getting dragged down with him.

Robert is cheat and a crook, a ruthless boss and an egomaniac. Perhaps that’s what it takes to become that rich? As a viewer, I found myself pulled into his machinations and deceptions, rooting for him to get away with it all, perhaps out of a sense of admiration for his sheer coldblooded skill and nerve under immense pressure.

Arbitrage is definitely a film that grips the audience and does not let go, all the way to the final frame.

Rating: ***