Just about every character, including the lawmen, should have wound up in prison in "Arbitrage" but don't. The theme of this film is that power trumps everything else. It could have been cliche-ridden but Richard Gere's portrayal of a cunning Wall Street player saves it. This turns out to be his comeback role.
What rivets is that everyone is so heavily flawed. Even the daughter who embraces the role of the Girl Scout as Chief Investment Officer in her father's firm should be horse-whipped for her naive attitude in a business where that just can't be permitted. The wife blackmails the husband. The detective manufactures evidence.
The irony is that the lawyers are the ones who come out looking okay. Their job is being an advocate for their clients and they do that well.
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