Movie Review: 'Arbitrage' -- 3.5 stars

There's not a better reminder that we've hit September, the start of the prestigious season for movies, than the release of a film like "Arbitrage." Here's an old-fashioned thriller and morality play that's centered on compelling characters and subtle storytelling.

Richard Gere, giving his best performance in years, stars as hedge fund giant Robert Miller. From writer-director Nicholas Jarecki, the film recounts Miller's attempts to deal with a burgeoning dual crisis: a potential threat to the crucial sale of his company, and a problem involving his mistress Julie (Laetitia Casta).

Set in a sleek, high-end Manhattan, and shot with an eye for the emptiness of the surroundings, the movie offers a classic portrayal of a Master of the Universe facing his doom.

Gere's Miller is a cheat and a fraud, betraying his wife (Susan Sarandon), daughter (Brit Marling) and clients. He's earned whatever misfortune is coming. But it's a testament to the quality of the star's work, and the movie's clearheaded portrait of human nature, that we understand his choices and sympathize with him anyway.