Arbitrage, a movie released way back in September on American soil, and believe or not at the time of the film's release I recall a lot of critics were hyping it up to be a contender at various award ceremonies, and unfortunately that never happened, although I must say it truly is a brilliant film, that I feel has been severely overlooked.

Arbitrage stars Richard Gere as a troubled hedge fund magnate who desperately needs to complete the sale of his trading empire; however he makes an error that forces him to turn to an unlikely person for help.

As I stated in my opening paragraph Arbitrage is a brilliant film, and of course there are many factors that contribute towards that, but most noticeably I would say the thing that holds the majority of the movie together is just how good Richard Gere is in the leading role. I feel Gere's portrayal of his character, Robert Miller is one of the finest of his career, and if I was a member of the Academy I would certainly, without a shadow of a doubt award him at least a nomination for best actor. In fact I think this film deserved a lot more attention, because although being subjected to critical acclaim, no-one seems to be interested, and that is definitely a real shame.

The thing I enjoyed most about Gere's character in this movie is that as a viewer, it certainly gave me a lot of inner conflict. Whilst watching the film I have to admit I really did like his character, yet I have absolutely no idea why, as the guy is not really the type of character you should be rooting for, due to his personality and antics that he carries out throughout the majority of the movie. Nonetheless of the top of my head, the only real reason I can think of regarding why I liked him so much was most probably due to how well Gere played the part, and when an actor can do that with material such as this, you know you're in the presence of a true master class in acting.

Whilst Gere is responsible for delivering the stand-out performance of the movie, it would be impossible to go without praising the remainder of the ensemble cast. For example Susan Sarandon does a solid job as does Brit Marling, but two performances I would like to highlight in particular, come from both Tim Roth and Nate Parker, as the pair give two very fine performances indeed.

Although Arbitrage is a slow movie, I have now seen the film twice, and whilst I thought it was great the first time round, I can safely say I enjoyed more upon a second viewing. The only thing that slightly annoyed me about the movie, the first time was the ending, however when watching the film again I have abolished my criticisms. Without spoiling anything, I think it's fairly self-explanatory what happened, yet I really do admire the way it allows the viewer to come up with his/her own interpretations regarding what they've just watched, so most definitely hats off in that respect.

The film has a very strong script, and the score and New York cinematography are absolutely tremendous to see and hear. There really is only one word that springs to mind when describing Arbitrage, aside from brilliant and fantastic etc., and that is gripping. Because it's one hell of a ride and one that I highly recommend you take.

9/10