“Arbitrage” is a crafty thriller that has placed its twists and turns brilliantly within the plot to keep viewers eager and attentive to the story without getting the whiplash of confusion that often accompanies such twists.

Nicholas Jarecki wrote and directed this intense film, which stars Richard Gere as billionaire hedge fund magnate Robert Miller, a man who seems to have it all: a beautiful family and home, a thriving business, and he is a charitable man who seems to be putting his enormous wealth to good use. He carries the persona of a happy father and husband, but there is more to him than meets the eye.

Miller is a lost and corrupt family and business man. His greediness rivals Gordon Gekko’s and his deceitfulness in the corporate world as well at home are masked by the happy-go-lucky persona he has created and so magnificently hid behind.

Miller has committed fraud by cooking the books in order to make it seem like his company, Miller Capital, has plenty of money and would be marketable for sale. Miller has borrowed 412 million dollars so his company will pass an audit, thus closing the deal and relieving him and all of his investors from losing an enormous amount of money. Miller is trying desperately to close this deal before his loan runs out and the possibility of being charged with fraud arises.

This is only where the trouble begins for him. Not only is he committing fraud, but he is also trying to cover up his mistress’ death, which he is directly responsible for. Now is where we see all the twists and turns that make “Arbitrage” a smart and engaging thriller and where we see Miller’s brokenness and brilliance all at once.

Miller and his mistress are driving in the middle of the night when he falls asleep at the wheel. The car flips, killing his mistress on impact. He escapes the car with minimal injuries and contemplates alerting the police, but his logic is clouded by thoughts of the sale of his company and he opts to flee the scene. He seeks help from an unlikely person, Jimmy Grant, the son of a formerly deceased friend and colleague and a person who he has not had contact with in a long time.

This starts Miller’s consistency of pulling people into his whirlwind of deceit. His relationships with his daughter, who is also his chief investment officer, his wife, and with Jimmy are all tested and strained as the film reaches its climax.

Gere does an exceptional job playing the intellectual and deceitful billionaire. There are a few scenes in which Gere’s performance is spine-tingling, especially during moments when he is in meditative solitude. Gere is able to manipulate the audience and make the relationship viewers develop with his characters one of both love and hate. Gere is able to convince the audience that his character is balanced both as a corrupt corporate criminal and as a person who cares tremendously for his family and employees alike.

Gere’s performance in this film is the only one in “Arbitrage” worth any praise; it may even be Oscar-worthy. Susan Sarandon does a decent job portraying his snobbish and blackmailing wife but there is only one substantial scene between them and this is overshadowed by the scenes which precede it and that showcase Gere’s portrayal of a broken and desperate man.

Jarecki covers many facets of crime and deviance in this film. He orchestrates great suspense while having Miller drag in other characters at their own expense. All of these facets play well together and that is what truly makes this an engaging thriller.

Jarecki additionally makes the audience ache for the failure of Gere’s character at times. At other points of the film he makes viewers cheer for Miller, and want him to make it out unscathed or to admit to his wrongdoing and become a changed and honorable man.

With Jarecki’s magnificent plot and Gere’s brilliant acting manipulating the audience’s opinion of the character, “Arbitrage” is a great and suspenseful film that slaps you in the face a few times right when you think you know what is coming next, all the way up until the end.

Ryan Sacco can be reached at [email protected].