SanEat
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Roman Sampson
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Michael Ledo
It is always nice to get out while you are on top, before you are caught with your finger in the pie. This is what a dishonest, cheating Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is attempting to do. This is a semi-crime drama that comes at you rather fast with no time for character build up. Robert Miller is unlikeable, but the film doesn't build character for anyone else. I found myself rooting for minor characters who are more honest than Miller, but not puritanical.Brit Marling as the overly smart daughter played a convincing role, but Susan Sarandon as the wife did not have the lines she needed to excel. The individual scene dialouge was predictable. The film is more of a crime drama with the financial empire and deals being part of the background dealings setting up Gere's character.Might be worth watching once. A film you will forget an hour after you have seen it. Not a keeper.Parental Guide: F-bombs, brief sex, no nudity
bowmanblue
I wasn't expecting too much from 'Abitrage,' but I was pleasantly surprised, based on the cast. If it wasn't for the performance of (mainly) Richard Gere, this would have been a very formulaic thriller. At some parts, it still feels a little like an extended TV episode.As I said, Richard Gere carries this entire movie, playing a - partly - despicable character, who at the same time, we find we can root for. He doesn't make the right choices throughout the movie but that's what keeps his character interesting and helps to let the movie move along, even during its slower moments. It's the sort of thriller where everything starts to go from bad to worse for its main character, when his lies and actions only get him in more and deeper problems and drags those close to him down, along with him.However, not all the characters are as good as Gere's - the story really under uses Susan Sarandon, who could had given the movie a whole other dimension and more depth. She does the best with what's given to her, but there could have been so much more for her to do. As is Tim Roth, who just plays a stereotypical New York detective. When he shows up you think he is going to play a big and important role for this movie but in fact there are large portions of the movie in which his character plays no role at all.I still really enjoyed this thriller and at times was even loving it. It's definitely a better than average genre attempt, despite still having a very standard and familiar type of premise and story in it. So in essence, nothing surprising but it's all still very well made and acted out by its impressive cast, which already is worth the price alone.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/
Sathesh S
The story is about the businessman Robert Miller - how he sees things, how he hears things, how he thinks! And he thinks "The world events all revolve around five things - "M" "O" "N" "E" "Y" . So he takes a great risk in his business investing a huge amount and it turns out to be a failure. So he now falsifies his company accounts and try to get a good deal with which he thinks his problems will get solved. He is so desperate to conclude the deal and it keeps dragging a bit. His personal life threatens with more problems that might cancel the deal which is the most important thing for him now. How he handles them is the story .The story is a kind of drama but never lags in keeping the audience interested and engaged anticipating whats gonna be the next move by Miller to solve his problems. Very interesting aspect of all is that his wife and daughter are equally as smart as him making him difficult to handle. The political move which Mrs. Miller makes towards the end shows the smartness in the character after showing most of the ignorance from the beginning.Holding the story causing no harm to any character with his major fraudulent act is something positive to look upon .
statuskuo
I'm sure the comparison has been drawn before. But what if Edward from "Pretty Woman" had moved on in life? The fairy tale is over and work has consumed him. Not only him, but his family. Sarandon, is the aging beauty wife, dedicated to keeping their family together and her charitable work and Pilates. Similar to what Julia Roberts would've become. Last we heard, money was the central idea of how he obtained Roberts and thus would be his own downfall.This movie is gripping. Despite previous reviews of how "boring" it was. It's not. It's one of the few times where I started to identify with wealthy people and the web they get tangled in when the ability to do right is so clouded by more personal issues. And it's an amazing balance of emotions, that I was throughly impressed with. I feel the reason this was largely ignored during Oscar time, may've been an undercurrent of the financial disaster of the U.S.A. It seemed to give a pass to greed. Not that it ever excused his behavior, but it made understand that most of us see black and white. Yes, there is a right or wrong and you want Gere to do the right thing. But in the shadow of financial disaster for a lot of people, is the right thing also the wrong. This type of dynamic is SO wonderful, because it's missing in most movies these days. And refreshing to see characters (especially the talent in this movie) slowly go into their own demise. I LOVED this movie. A wonderful look into decisions we make under pressure.