When you watch a movie like this one, you find yourself looking for those little things that separate it from all those that have resembled it in the past. Arbitrage succeeds on two levels. The script is nearly flawless and the acting, with one exception, is not overdone. It's people acting the way you would imagine they would under these situations. The standout in the film however is not the star, Richard Gere, but Nate Parker who plays Jimmy. Parker's ability to convey loyalty with self interest, street smarts with raw intelligence and toughness with sensitivity is uncanny. He is an odd choice to represent the moral compass in the movie. Tim Roth and Gere share a scene that is explosive, despite it's subtlety, but the scenes with Parker steal the show.
Unfortunately, the movie fails with too much filler (which at just over 100 minutes is a little odd) and a very weak ending. Not in that it leaves us with questions, but leaves us with the feeling that a final scene, a better one, was left on the cutting room floor. The actual filming is done brilliantly with an incredible eye on the scale of the issues at hand, represented by the actual size of the massive offices where hundreds of millions of dollars are shifted about. A fine movie, with a terrific script, that just misses the mark of being great and falls into the "good" category.
Unfortunately, the movie fails with too much filler (which at just over 100 minutes is a little odd) and a very weak ending. Not in that it leaves us with questions, but leaves us with the feeling that a final scene, a better one, was left on the cutting room floor. The actual filming is done brilliantly with an incredible eye on the scale of the issues at hand, represented by the actual size of the massive offices where hundreds of millions of dollars are shifted about. A fine movie, with a terrific script, that just misses the mark of being great and falls into the "good" category.
Comments
Post a Comment