Entertainment Sundance 2012: Richard Gere's cold-blooded 'Arbitrage' generates heat By Anthony Breznican January 23, 2012 They call it a "morality tale" when a character does despicable things and ends up being punished by karmic comeuppance. Richard Gere's Arbitrage, about a crooked hedge fund billionaire trying to cover up more than just his financial crimes, is kind of an "anti-morality tale," with the Bernie Madoff-type wheeler-dealer besieged on all sides by trouble, but somehow sticking it to karma every time — though the question of the film is for how long. The movie premiered Saturday night at the Sundance Film Festival, where its cold-blooded approach was a bracing contrast to some of the cozier films that had shown so far. "These guys enjoy living this kind of life. It's really a cocaine high, to be living like that — without the drugs! Success and money are enough of a drug." Gere went on, then stopped himself, smiling as he added a third thing. "There's sex as well." Gere's character, Robert Miller, has a high-society, big-spending wife trying to squeeze $2 million ("It's just $2 million!" she says) out of him for a hospital charity at the same time he is trying to cover up a series of missteps that have left them broke, save for a massive loan that's about to come due. Some major buyers are on the hook to take over his company, but they're hesitating. His daughter (Brit Marling), is a chief officer at the firm and senses something is wrong. Everything about Miller's world is closing in on him. The only relief he has is a French artisUmistress he keeps on the side (played by Victoria's Secret model Laetitia Casta.) Even she is beginning to pressure him to finally divorce his wife. When one of the characters dies in an accident, Gere's character has something much bigger and more terrifying to cover up as the police begin one more problem he has to overcome. First-time feature director Nicholas Jarecki drew inspiration from the Mad