I watched the film once, a few years ago, and now I’ve watched it twice, and it has opened up from a new side.
The plot of the film revolves around the sale of a hedge fund owned by business Robert Miller (Richard Gere). A businessman has everything: a big business, a family, a mistress. Really? A hedge fund is on the verge of bankruptcy due to a financial “hole” resulting from a failed transaction, only a sale can save the business and reputation. A mistress with a lack of attention, snorting cocaine, like a gallerist with her lover's money. The deal to sell the fund is constantly delayed by the buyer, the mistress is hysterical, the wife demands money for the charitable foundation - Mr. Miller's nerves are strained. And so Miller goes with his mistress to relax, to distract from current problems, but falling asleep behind the wheel gets into an accident, the mistress dies on the spot, the main character survives and escapes from the scene of the accident. At stake is reputation, business, physical freedom.
Miller is a strong person, and only with such strength of character, a special sense, you can survive in the world of big money. Miller seems to have solved all the problems. The deal took place, in the case of the accident was not smeared - everything succeeded. Who puts the knife in the back of our hero? Sweet "loving" wife. Great dialogue between the couple at the end of the film, showing all the hypocrisy within the family. And in this dialogue, our hero is sorry, he did everything for his family, for his family, and he did not have a family.
The film is psychologically well worked out, it is interesting, multi-layered, so with each viewing you discover something new. The open ending of the film makes you think. Richard Gere's performance is on top, how superbly convincing he is.
The world of big business is shown, where there is no morality, no place for sentimental snot. This world is cruel, and the means to stay in the saddle are all good. The world of big money is out of morality, out of conscience, and on the other hand, a simple guy who has this conscience, and there is a sense of gratitude, duty. And Gere's character understands that perfectly: 'He's not like us,' he says. I also want to note how the passion of the policeman to crush the hero Gere is shown, for this you can go forgery. Is the policeman trying for the sake of justice, or is it just a desire to show power over the strong in order to rise? How often do we see this in real life? The passion of the weak is to humiliate the more successful and the stronger, and this is considered one’s own success.
This is how I saw this picture today.
First, and very important, I want to emphasize that the film perfectly reflects the relationship ' choice-consequences' on the example of the main character (as Richard Gere). I took a once thoughtless decision on risks - I got financial problems in the company and, sadly enough to admit, would have drawn relatives and employees with me. Falling asleep in the car - accident and its consequences. Irresponsible... I love such films because they provide an amazing opportunity for learning or thinking (not just for the aesthetic pleasure of watching).
So, my friends, sit down more comfortably, turn on the film louder, do not break away from the screen in any way and take the opportunity to learn life from the main character!
By the way. About the title ' vicious passion'. It's a bit strange for the movie (the translation from the original is quite different). But if you consider it in the vein of the fact that the main character just has a passion for money, risk and, of course, to go to the side (which ruined the marriage, in fact, so the passion is vicious) – the name becomes not so inappropriate.
Personally, I like the fact that each subsequent picture is a semantic continuation of the previous one. This is not just a jump from one story to another, but as if a coherent plot, which is closer to reality.
Of course - the actors' performance, the quality of the film - everything is on the tower. There is no need for praise - everything is clear.
I only wish you a pleasant viewing!
"Arbitrage" - or "Vicious Passion" - a film-book that reveals the essence of one of the most terrible vices, which, perhaps, gives rise to all the others - greed.
In an effort to show from all sides the ugliness and all-consuming darkness of this fall, the director recreated a magnificent anthology of the modern world.
Actors, like mythological heroes, perfectly mastering the game of words, clearly demonstrate the pseudo-ideality of images.
Special words deserve the main character of Richard Gere - a billionaire suffering from the lack of criticism that can return him to the world of worthy realities. He fences himself off from the pressing world-over-the-window with a mountain of cliches and clichés: becoming overly sentimental when real and adequate action is expected of him - right now - or squandering the teachings that should be on the pages of economics textbooks. He does not wake up even when the result of his blind pursuit of the ghostly becomes the death of his passion.
His surroundings - family, friends, colleagues - are all surrounded by his sleepy and blind yearning. All are enmeshed in a chain armed with the vicious passion of the race.
The cast is great! Brit Marling was especially impressed with her performance: looking at her, you believe in an oasis of pure and unconditional impulse in the dirty billions surrounding him. (This is hardly a place in reality. )
And. A direct hit to the aesthetic bar of the heart was the musical accompaniment of the film. Cliff Martínez knows a lot about action keys! And the final song of the genius Björk left an absolute aftertaste after watching.
Of course, my favorite!
"The world is cold." "Then you should dress warmer."
From the first minute, it seems that something worthwhile awaits you. I think it is.
Do not expect a lot of emotions from the film, speed of action and a sharp plot. This is a calm, measured film that allows you to live not the most successful stage in the life of the main character. Here we can analyze the characters of the characters, try to put ourselves in their place.
The film can be categorized as “lifelike,” just don’t think, I don’t mean that the plot is so realistic. No, it is vital in terms of the fact that ideology, the worldview of different people are revealed here, where each person represents a part of society in the current world.
The thought that accompanies the film is that money can do anything. Indeed, for money you can buy the best lawyer and secure your freedom, thanks to money you can improve your family, live in comfort, with the help of money you can do good – charity. But the main thing is not to lose moral values.
You know, there are no “bad” and “good” people in this film, all people with their own shortcomings and advantages.
Giving an overall assessment of the film, you need to notice a pleasant musical accompaniment, as well as the fact that the film is quite beautiful, hovers the atmosphere of luxury (not surprising, because we are talking about a man from the cover of Forbes).
Of the minuses - an unpleasant precipitate remained the final.
Film category "once", but generally positive attitude.
Robert Miller, the main character of the film, the owner of factories, newspapers, steamships. Although there are factories, factories at least produce something, and here it is only money that makes money. So, the owner of a plane and a large trust fund, a little bankrupt, a little fraud, a little killer, a little millionaire, and in general, a smart, smart tycoon, a gulena and a womanizer, a drinker and an ice cream snack. But the language does not turn to call him a dishonest person. Because at least he is honest with himself. Because that trust must be earned. Because, as a real financial tycoon has nerves of steel and iron exposure, and after all, he cares about people, and does not forget himself, his beloved.
But the title of the film for the Russian hire is surprising. Passion, and even vicious??? It is not clear where they saw the passion, because I have not seen a more calm and dispassionate narrative. For this film, the title is more suitable even not the original “Arbitrage”, but rather “Audit”, since the only thrill there is caused only by audits.
A little observation, I know more than one family, where wealthy parents who have something to leave their children, have a son and a daughter. And the father's business is inherited by the daughter, not the son, because the latter is usually an obolus and a balabol. I don’t want to offend anyone, but here in this film the same strange trend emerges.
And about the actors, the great trio of Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth. Excellent, as always. Their heroes in life play and everyone has their own game. Except there are no winners. Amen.
9 out of 10
Looking for a good movie in the genre of thriller, got a good drama.
The movie is definitely worth watching. Yes, it is not very dynamic, although for all the time I never wanted to fast forward or go away for tea.
A good scenario without visible blunders and fables. Confused only by the work of the so-called & #39; the best & #39; lawyer in his case, who in fact could not refute frail evidence. In our time, when the fashion for lawyers and prosecutors is widely covered in all TV series and movies, we have all seen how you can avoid punishment even for the guilty, and here in fact nothing.
I’m not a fan of Richard Gere, but I can’t help but mention his good performance and charismatic character. He's not a positive hero, but I wouldn't call him a negative either, like Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street 39. In a world of big money, they survive as best they can, and nobility or honesty is judged by the severity of crimes rather than their absence. And the fall of the hero is also difficult to talk about. As a person and a person, I believe he survived, and as a businessman burned out, although he chose the lesser of evils.
In this story, I was rather struck by the family, namely the mother and daughter. The daughter is a spoiled idealist with strange ideas about doing big business. The most annoying blonde righteous women who live at the expense of their parents, not understanding what to what and how much to pay for success, but at the moment of collapse appear with their righteous sermons, what is bad and what is good. The mother, in fact, is also far from an angel, spends her husband’s money on charity, lives at his expense, and in the end also finishes off her husband, because he broke her daughter’s heart & #39; All this caused only pity for the main character.
The film, in general, is about fraud in business and court, about modern relations in the family and a little about the decency that most of all turned out to be in the black boy.
The character of Richard Gere turned out to be a typical billionaire with his skeletons in the closet, but who was able to adequately get out of the situation without going over his heads.
A good drama, an interesting plot line, until the end was not clear, after all, will get out or not.
9 out of 10
Novice director Nicholas Jareki is like a culinary school graduate trying to mix top-notch, seemingly ingredients in his dish. Everything looks good, we have several talented actors, half a dozen different storylines, each of which is able to individually pull the film, good directing and camera work, but gradually begins to create the impression that this film brew is missing something - maybe the last seasoning that will connect everything together, or maybe there is talent.
Robert Miller is a brilliant financier for fifty years, flaunts a white-toothed smile, gives interviews to journalists, and then imperiously throws Forbes magazine with his photo on the cover in the basket, spins a sluggish affair with a Frenchwoman, tries to overlap in financial fraud, but does all this automatically, without excitement. And even when the measured course of his life is disturbed and the cozy world gradually begins to go into dispersion, Girov’s equanimity does not disappear. However, what was appropriate in "Dr. T" or in a couple of dozen salon dramas here begins to tire and exasperate and already want to shake the elderly screen handsome, give him a crack to get at least a little bit of emotion.
Combining a detective, a thriller, a bank drama, and a love line, in addition to the conflicts of the disintegrating bourgeois family, Jareki took too much weight for one two-hour tape. Grateful, in principle, ideas alternately fall apart, go nowhere, burst or sink under their own weight. As a result, none of the guns really shoot, and good actors Roth and Sarandon slide to the level of episodic characters confused in their motivations and actions.
Whether the film has some morality and meaning that the director wanted to say and what Gere wanted to reflect on the screen remains unclear, as well as both - the original English and domestic titles of the picture. The world of big money is corrupted, everyone is sold and bought, a white-toothed handsome man in a good suit will always get away with it - these truths are too obliterated to be worth spending another film on. Besides, nothing is visible in the “Arbitrage”. Pity...
Robert Miller knows what lies and double lives are. Every day is filled with pretense, deception and people who are only objects for him to manipulate. A successful businessman and happy family man, Miller is not what he wants to be. After a family dinner, he is always in a hurry to see his mistress, and his own business is in deep crisis. Accustomed to always getting his way, Miller suddenly faces the very real prospect of total bankruptcy and even imprisonment. Forced to go into financial fraud to hide the real state of affairs, the businessman lets control of events out of his hands. And when his negligence leads to the death of not only an innocent, but also a person close to him, it becomes clear that it will not be easy for Miller to get away with it.
It's worth a try, though. What the main character does throughout the film “Vicious Passion”, directed by debutant Nicolos Jareki. In the past, a successful producer, Jareki was able to successfully apply his experience as the head of the filming process. “Vicious passion” is a detective thriller, devoid of the necessary genre attributes, but, despite this, creating such a suspense that many “thrillers” did not dream of. In many ways, this is the merit of the plot, which, not shining with special originality, is replete with pitfalls that stand in the way of the main character. And he, like a white shark, the most formidable predator of the business ocean, nevertheless, is forced to be in constant motion to not go down. Watching his constant tricks, tricks and attempts to deceive everyone at once brings a strange pleasure, and although Miller is a son of a bitch, it will be difficult not to worry about him. Partly because of the attractive dexterity with which he passes those very stones, and partly because, in essence, everyone had to face them, although not at such depth. But this is the movie, so that everything in it was more interesting than in life. The movie is interesting, skillfully shot and opening many doors, in reality always closed to the ordinary visitor of the cinema. The underside of big business and the other side of the big people in it, in fact, despite their wealth, not so perfect, and therefore even more interesting, has always been a popular leitmotif in cinema. Ever since Hermann Gekko, people have been watching with interest the fortunes, or better yet, the failures, of the very rich who cry. Robert Miller was no exception. In addition to the qualities prescribed by the writers, he has the charisma and real habits of a cornered predator - and this is the merit of Richard Gere, who played the main role. In the role of a ruthless businessman, he looks much more convincing than in the already boring roles of heroes-lovers. In "Vicious Passion" the hero-love, although it takes place, but very modest - in the multifaceted and complex character of the protagonist. Therefore, the play of Gere, a performer, boundlessly talented, acquires new colors and makes you look at the already 63-year-old actor from a new side. Whether he will be able to develop this success is the next question, the main thing is that regardless of the continuation, in “Vicious Passion” he definitely has a place to be. And, given that the film has something to brag about without the cast, everyone will be satisfied - and Gere, and the director, and, most importantly, those for whom the whole performance was arranged - the audience themselves.
In 2012, two American films were released that surprised me with their sincerity and surprise at corruption and abuse of power. One of them is a picture of Zemeckis with Denzel Washington. The second film is “Arbitrage” (in the Russian box office – “Vicious Passion”).
Both of these films seem to have been staged in the late 80s, a year after Wall Street. They expose any abuse and show that not all people with power are bad.
In this case, power refers to money managed by the owner of a large asset management company. He is very nice and sincere with himself. He's not buried in his garden, he's not a pedophile, he's not counted for murder. Meanwhile, he's taking risks. They take risks and abuse their powers. And then there's the accident. Will he cope with this drama, the crisis of the chosen path? And how will his personal metamorphosis be perceived by his family?
These are the questions the director will ask.
Another thing is that these questions will be asked very directly. In fact, the whole film turned out to be such a blandly straightforward reflection or denunciation of those who wield power. After all, the main character is so charming that the creators simply could not help but wonder: “And the judges who?”
And while the viewer understands what is what, he is offered a whole scatter of talented actors at his discretion. I liked women. A small role in Letizia Caste is still young and charming. Her correspondence counterpart will play Susan Sarandon, on the elegance of which, time probably does not work.
Not exactly "came" in the role of Tim Roth. The actor is certainly talented, but I had the impression that the image he proposed I had already seen (and more than once in his performance).
As you can see, I didn’t see anything special in this movie. Everything is quite trivial and ordinary. But there is one nuance that does not allow me to evaluate this tape at 2 or 3 points and forget about its existence after writing a review.
It's about Richard Gere. The actor tried very hard and did a very decent acting job. This is an unexpected benefit. Although, all the acting clichés since “American Gigolo” have changed little.
5 out of 10
“Vicious passion” is an interesting, twisted thriller that keeps in suspense all the time. The movie is well shot, and the film has an unusual, intriguing atmosphere. This thriller is based on the main character, who was so wonderfully and sensually played by Richard Gere. This actor is very talented and always manages to play well in different genres. In this film he plays clearly and emotionally. I liked him in this film, and he looks confident and very good on the screen despite his advanced age.
We see the main character. He's ambitious and very rich. He has a family: a wife, children, grandchildren, but he also has a mistress whom he loves and spends a lot of time with. It so happens that in an accident his mistress dies, and he hides from the crime scene, and here begins this twisted and dynamic story.
The film pleases with its speed of events and the tension in which you sit all the time when you watch this thoughtful and sophisticated thriller. Besides Richard Gere, I liked Tim Roth in this movie. This actor is a very interesting person, and he always plays extremely believable and gets used to the role of his characters.
After watching this movie, you realize that the rich can do anything. Everything is allowed and they will get out of any situation. They have money and they run the world. I must say that the film was made honestly and interesting, and the actors all came to their roles and play without falsehood, and this is the most important thing.
Vicious Passion is a movie that definitely deserves attention. All fans of films of this genre and fans of Richard Gere should like this thriller. I still remember the song of the Icelandic singer Bjork, singing at the end of the film, it was pleasant and unexpected to hear her unusual voice in this film. This movie will take you into a dangerous and risky story, which managed to survive and get away with one very influential and rich man.
8 out of 10
The first thing I thought when I started watching the movie was that if I were the director, I would swap Richard Gere and Tim Roth. It seems to me that the last cool was a villain, it is a pity that after the “Theory of Lies” began to be used only in the roles of detectives. It's just like it happened to Gere.
“Vicious passion” can be considered as an experiment for Gere, here he tries to try on not only expensive costumes, but also a new image.
It was unexpected for me... But that's the thriller. I drew attention to the dialogue, for the thriller it is unusual - they are voluminous, we can say that these are the supports on which the character Gere (Robert Miller) relies.
Well, of course, in the film to create an atmosphere of luxury is always a difficult task, but the viewer likes to watch the life of the great world. I don’t know what the budget was for “Vicious Passion,” but it was beautiful. It’s nice to see all these receptions, flights on private planes and expensive cars. And without beautiful women, too, could not do — after all, oligarchs — and where they are without top models. In the role of the mistress of the main character - Leticia Casta, however, the role is small. And those who love serious actresses - as Miller's wife - Susan Sarandon. Especially at the end, she has a strong scene.
8 out of 10
This film by Nicolas Jareki is undoubtedly a vivid example of how, in principle, with a fairly simple idea, you can make a very good film consequence.
The film will be included in the collections of fans of the so-called “economic dramas” with an admixture of a general assessment of the state of justice and legality in the state and society.
In fact, the protagonist himself declares what principle underlies the universe when he reflects on the manic struggle for a limited number of dollars. And this locomotive confidently rides through the film clinging to new and new story cars.
It is the well-designed architecture of the film, the harmonious distribution of the matter of the idea that makes it possible to deeply feel the psychology of the main characters, evaluate their actions from the point of view of their moral imperatives, observe how much the line between good and evil is blurred in the modern economy and justice. We do not observe the classical dichotomy of good and evil forces, but observe the complete mutual diffusion of these two concepts in all the main characters.
Escape from responsibility is justified by the presence of another, which itself is nothing but the result of boundless greed. Deception, betrayal, blackmail, hypocrisy are the main ways of interaction with reality and the cause of the collapse of relations between loved ones and despite the difficult journey made from death to legal tricks, the threat of destroying the fate of entire families, walking on the edge of imprisonment, we come to the culminating collective assessment of the society in which a human died.
7 out of 10
One should not be afraid of poverty, disease, or anything that does not come from depravity and does not depend on man himself. (Aristotle)
Plot. Wealthy financier Robert Miller (Gere) follows a dangerous path of deception. His company thrives only ghostly, being a big “soap bubble”. Behind his family warmth lies the betrayal of his wife (Susan Sarandon) and the deception of children. Miller is going to sell the company for the last time, but then the houses of cards begin to collapse out of lies. On a deserted highway, the car of sleepy Robert and his mistress (Letizia Casta) flips over and the girl dies. Glargeroy does not want to admit that he was behind the wheel, afraid to disrupt the most important deal to sell the company and generally expose the entire scope of his dark cases. For him, an even more complex psychological and legal game will begin, in which he will try to bend the system to himself, at the same time not allowing a hole in the wall of his own lies. Will he be able to trust his loved ones with his secrets, what the power of his wallet is capable of, will Robert himself be able to withstand the pressure that has fallen on him, will this favorite of the tabloids suddenly remain lonely?
Based on such a story, it would be logical to see another “film correction”, but no. "Vicious Passion" will not reveal the embrace of pink positivity or move to overt moralizing. The world we see is harsh and the events are dramatic. A lover of green papers, the Glavger is not an angel at all (although not a complete bastard), and several other characters will try to play with him “not by the rules.” The story itself is presented tensely, but its extensive economic and legal baggage is not easy for average viewers to perceive (conversations and some plot events related to this topic periodically puzzled me, although I am far from a baby in these cases).
As mentioned above, the ideological component of the film will not want to teach you much. "Vicious Passion" is a "film-fall" in which a successful liar suddenly begins to fall apart. On the example of Robert’s life, we will be able to see what adversity can stand in the way of someone who “plays”, and also think about money, economics and law. Areas where connections and human trust are sometimes decisive; where “the image of success is also success.”
The actor component throws the picture extra pluses, because it is responsible for such people as Richard Gere (creating the image of a charming intellectual - a scammer who almost does not feel a solid age), the talented Susan Sarandon (a heroine who can be both soft and decisive), as well as Tim Roth in the role of a cunning and cunning detective. It was a pleasure to watch them play.
From the technical side, I did not have any complaints: the camera work, musical accompaniment and installation were performed qualitatively and professionally.
In the end, we have a strong psychological thriller with good actors. Scenario flirtations with the economy and the law are complex, but the intensity of the actions (mostly, however, at the level of conversations and the development of the transaction / investigation) can please. A look into the vicious world of a financial swindler – without overt moralizing, realistic and artful. We are waiting for the announcement of the winner of the Golden Globe 2013 in the nomination “Best Actor”
Would you like to lose it all to a series of accidents? And also if you are a very rich person who has his own company, family and young mistress. Of course not. Never a lot of money is earned for nothing, without hiding some adventure or fraud, sooner or later you have to pay for everything.
And now they are already conducting a full audit at the company, and by a ridiculous accident, a mistress dies in an accident, and all this happens on the eve of a big deal, on which a lot depends. The hero of Richard Gere is an ordinary man with his weaknesses and desires and with an extraordinary love of money. For such people, there are no obstacles and problems that arise in business, he solves, in the most radical ways, sometimes without thinking about the consequences, those that put the family and daughter at risk. On the other hand, a policeman who is openly hates these rich and powerful people. He tries to prove his guilt by all truths and untruths. A wife who lives her own life does charity work. A boy who is torn between his duty to the Gear for his father and his life.
We, the audience, observe this kaleidoscope and even catch ourselves on the fact that at some moments we even worry about the main character, but if we put everything on the shelves then we are dealing with another hypocrite and adventurer who is very much in modern business and politics.
This film proves once again that liars thrive and get away with it once again. And don’t be fooled by the hypocritical smile, it’s just a mask.
Vicious Passion is the directorial debut of American screenwriter and producer Nicholas Jareki. In my subjective opinion, a successful debut. Throughout film history, the director does not denounce or lecture. He is interested in understanding the borderline state of the human mind, when every event can become not only a reason for moral choice, but also a potential material for a deal. When life is a series of deals, many of which are morally and ethically questionable. And if initially the hero of Richard Gere was appointed to the role of the bad boy, then over the course of screen time several more heroes of this film make up the company for him: Ellen Miller (played by Susan Sarandon), Detective Brier (Tim Roth), Julie's mistress (Letitia Casta). Thus, the main character is far from the only person who builds his life and goes to the intended goals, observing only the principles of his own morality and decency. As a result, Robert Miller turns out to be perhaps the most integral figure of this “cunning” film – because he remains faithful to his principles and does not turn away from the intended path even in the most hopeless circumstances.
Richard Gere is convincing as Robert Miller through internal boiling and external restraint. The duality of character gives Gere's character depth. Robert Miller - charismatic and uncompromising - gets away with it despite all the seemingly horrific circumstances that play against him. You sympathize and empathize with him. Robert Miller is a solitary leader. Who has no back, a family that is a team. And there's some of his fault. You can't brazenly lie to your daughter, hoping that when the truth comes out, everything will settle down. Perhaps the daughter by then will become wiser and understand in what world and according to what laws she lives. You can not play a game called “family”, while expecting sincerity, trust and empathy from your other half.
“Why do you think I’ve endured this for so long?”
You tolerated? Oh, come on. What about me? I was patient, too. Your constant complaints, your eternal discontent, your shopping, your coaches. Everything. Oh, yeah, charity. All the right things you do. How do you think I pay for all this?
I didn't ask. Because I didn't want you to lie.
You didn't want to say no.
But I thought you and I had an understanding. But you broke our tacit agreement. (C)
A vicious passion for the silence of the truth, for the half-heartedness of the truth, in the end always leads to a collapse, if not financial, then spiritual. Nicholas Jareki invites the viewer to think, compare their life situations with the presented one; evaluate their family and how it treats you, whether it is your support or in the family everyone begins to “blow into their own duda”. And if there is a person next to you who is ready to follow you, keep this in him so that in a difficult moment he does not remain disappointed “just a subordinate.”
A film about a life where everything is fragile, where the problem of choice is more acute the greater the desire to hide the truth. You have to pay morally for lying. Mistakes lie within ourselves. And there comes a moment when a person will fall off, fall off like husks, all sorts of parasitic people, but other people who can be with him can also turn away.
The film "Nicolas Jareki" turned out to be very capacious, meaningful and full of meaning, despite the fact that it does not seem to sink into deep philosophical depths, but even such a superficial slice of life was enough to make the picture revealing, and not in the boring and pathetic, but in the best, everyday-wise meaning of the word. “Vicious passion” calls not to sprinkle your head with ashes or jump from a bridge, but first of all to think: who has become, into whom (or already what?) has modern man turned? What's he doing? What does he believe? Does he have a future? And will this road lead to a complete dead end?
The film is about American realities and problems, but many of them are easily projected almost to the whole world. The story of billionaire Robert Miller came out surprisingly holistic, we can easily imagine this man, his traits, his motives, his joys, doubts and pain. The key to this was a well-constructed script and elaborate dialogue, which reveal a lot in the characters of both Miller and other heroes. In the film, Robert is not convicted, as well as an acquittal, but instead the authors suggest to think again: could he have acted differently, or there are certain rules of the game that cannot be violated long before him? Is there a border that cannot be crossed? Conclusions to the viewer. In any case, this character turned out not to be template, about very natural and alive, although at the same time very controversial. His relationship with his wife, daughter, colleagues, friends generally reduces everything to the level of everyday life, here with Robert often falls the mask, and he appears as he really is. But I was particularly struck by the Robert Miller-Jimmy Grant storyline. It is difficult to imagine what to do in order to remain a person, in what plane the true human virtues are located, and where the border I have already mentioned above is! A huge thank you to Jareki, who also wrote the script, for these two heroes.
I want to thank you for the poignancy with which the picture emphasizes hypocrisy and falsehood, which often accompany material success and even just the relative material comfort of modern man. When even people close to each other, not to mention colleagues, business partners, wear masks once worn for years, to one degree or another hypocrisy, lie to each other, speak as high as empty and insincere words, and at the same time convince themselves that it is necessary, that it is “for the good of others”, “for the sake of high goals”... And sometimes they start to believe it themselves. And all because it is more convenient and comfortable, nothing disturbs and does not prevent to indulge your vicious passions. As a result, people lose themselves, they just “seem”, but they are not. And this problem is sharpened in the film to the limit, although the conclusions and answers to questions the viewer will have to look for themselves again. But this very question in "Perverse Passion" is put edge-to-edge and very clear, so that it will not be possible to pass by it.
Such a strong film, of course, would be impossible without good acting. Many are already talking about the Oscar for Richard Gere. No doubt, the role he turned out to be good, played with feeling, desire, even passion. In principle, I agree that he deserved the prize of the American Film Academy. The gold statuette was sometimes awarded for much less, in my opinion.
But personally, I also liked Tim Roth, who successfully played an old-school detective and hardening with a reliably casual careless manner, outwardly sluggish movements. But in which, nevertheless, tenacity, iron grip and extraordinary mind are clearly visible. I will certainly watch other films with this actor, but only in Planet of the Apes, and even then not in his guise, I never saw him again, casually, anywhere.
Thank you again to Nate Parker for playing Jimmy Grant. Excellent work!
Classic, quite simple, but at the same time interesting dramatic political and legal thriller
“Vicious passion” (in the original “Arbitrage”) is one of the most interesting dramatic thrillers of recent times, this is a film that combines a good plot, moral and informative components, as well as high-quality acting. The film is very good, but as we can judge by the differing assessments from professional critics and viewers, "Vicious Passion" is an amateur film.
Let's find out whether you should spend time on this film, analyze some of its features.
1. Simple, logical and interesting story. It should be noted that this film and its general concept is not a novelty for American cinema. On the contrary, “Vicious Passion” is a film shot in the classic genre, and it has many analogues. From the films of the last decade immediately remember the films “Fracture” and “March Ides” (by the way, the films are very unusual and interesting – I recommend). But the greatest number of analogues to this film we can find in films of the late 80s - early 90s: it was then that political dramatic thrillers enjoyed the greatest popularity. However, this film is also interesting and fascinating, it is worth seeing, despite its secondary nature. One of the reasons to watch may be the story. It is so simple that it can literally be told in 2 minutes, but at the same time it is full of “underwater currents”, which make it so interesting and quite deep. In short, the film focuses on two crimes: negligence and falsification of financial statements. These legal offenses are associated with numerous crimes against morality, forming a kind of moral and intrapersonal conflict of the main character of “Vicious Passion”. In general, the film will be especially interesting to see lawyers, economists and political scientists. But thanks to the dramatic component, “Vicious Passion” can interest many other viewers.
2. Literacy in legal and political matters. As I said above, this film is based primarily on legal offenses. And it's worth noting that the legal language and use of certain terms is very literate. Therefore, this film can be used as a kind of illustrative guide for beginners practicing lawyers of criminal and civil profiles. Also, this picture is interesting from the point of view of geopolitical relations in the modern world. Personally, I learned a lot of interesting information about the behind-the-scenes life of TNCs and other giant companies. Therefore, this film will be interesting to all mature conscious viewers who understand politics and are interested in the economic life of the world community.
3. Very convincing performances. Well, many might think that “Vicious Passion” is a dry, uninteresting and insanely boring film with a one-sided bias in the political and legal sphere. And I am convinced that he would have been, if not for strong, very bright acting. I will begin to analyze these works of Richard Gere’s brilliant performance, perhaps his best role since Chicago. I want to praise him for his markedly refreshed appearance, because in “Vicious Passion” he looks no worse than in the previously mentioned “Chicago”, released 10 years before. In this film, he plays the main character - a mature businessman, leading a dangerous game in order to maximize profits and along the way carried away by an affair on the side, the father of a large family, each member of which is, as they say, in business. This role is very interesting and Mr. Gere's performance is very convincing. No wonder on many betting sites specializing in predicting nominees for various film awards, Richard Gere confidently holds on to the top ten potential Oscar nominees for Best Actor. Well, let's hope he gets his first nomination for the award, because he really deserves it. Special praise deserves the Oscar winner, one of my favorite actresses – Susan Sarandon. Her role in this film, though incredibly small, but very expressive. She plays the wife of a businessman, and her character reveals her gut only in the last minutes of the film. Therefore, her character is a real find, if you want the highlight of this film. I hope Susan Sarandon is nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Supporting Actress. It is also worth praising the good, but less interesting works from Tim Roth and Letizia Casta. In general, the acting I was very pleased.
4. The right moral. I want to accuse our translators of misinterpreting film titles. Well, what's this "lasting passion"? What kind of passion? What is this passion for money, for a woman? I don't understand. But if we turn to the original title - "Arbitrage", we see here some duality, so necessary for the correct perception of this film. On one hand, arbitration is an arbitration lawsuit that runs in the background throughout the film. But that's the visible part of the name. But on the other hand, arbitration is the verdict of the audience. After all, the ending of the film is open, and it is the audience that acts as a kind of jury or even arbitrators, passing a verdict on the main character. And what this sentence will be depends solely on the person himself: someone will consider the actions of the main character criminal and immoral, and someone on the contrary – correct in the framework of our modern cruel world. One way or another, “Vicious Passion” pushes the audience to sufficiently deep reflections, and a competent viewer will take the right thoughts from this film and make serious moral conclusions on its basis.
Summing up, we can say that “Vicious Passion” is a serious, good-quality, classic film in the genre of political thriller. A film that will not appeal to everyone. Therefore, I recommend it to thinking serious viewers who are not looking for a cheap entertainment movie, but are ready to once again think about quite important and topical issues.
Nice viewing!
Tsongkaba teaches me serenity and mercy. I am only the petal of a flower from the breath of the mouth of the great Lhassa. But when on your birthday, whether with a philanthropist wife, with a hysterical mistress, you have an international crisis, the threat of losing half a billion dollars for the latany of the budget entrusted to you by the investor and a broken contract, I want to exclaim, even sob: “Mistress is rubbish, diarrhea pie, I had such names in the tail,” but you can’t, I’m just a petal... In this situation, Miller is a millionaire, the character of Richard Gere. For some reason, American stereotypes insist that “seeming smiley and simple is the highest art in the world” and, moreover, absolutely necessary, and, therefore, Miller to shuffle, push the corners of his mouth, do courtesies, joke, exhaust the last resources of physiology, until he succumbs to a few moments of nap while driving. For a few moments, moments to disconnect and see next to you a dead mistress in a twisted car, which is about to explode.
What is the price of an Olympic smile, the opportunity to “leave smiling”? In modern box office cinema, it seems, not actors play, but the reputation of their typical characters, their filmographic image. Actor for villainous roles Tim Roth (for example, recall “Kill the King” with his half-mad power-hungry Cromwell) against the famous handsome, radiating charm and not yet extinct grandfather Gere. Tim Roth's police officer, of course, must sin with racist sensuality and generally work dirty, cheat. But he's right. For the essence is that the girl twisted her neck, baked to coal through the fault of her grandfather, or rather senile physiology, which could not withstand the painful string of smiles, business restaurant gatherings and sharing. And Miller, armed with a patriarchal charm, fights for audience sympathy, plugging all the holes with bundles of banknotes in between, so that the main half-billion-dollar hole does not swallow him. But he's wrong. And on this paradox, a multi-tiered plot structure is built. And — sorry, the poet takes the speech far — one philanthropic hole in the performance of Sarandon should be plugged not with money, but with a more masculine argument. Like a slap in the face. But so strong is the habit of writing a check if something bothers you that you can forget about marital duties, no matter how you understand them.
And it's not just another pathetic emphase on "Money can't buy everything," because you can buy everything, it's a quantitative question. Rather, there is a conflict between a smile with dimples and fragrant gray hair, on the one hand, and a gaping hole of failure into the utter emptiness behind all the facades, makeup and manners, behind the ephemeral glossy illusions, on the other hand. “Life is not an eternal tinkering now and then, but a subtle trickle of questions: why?” – to quote John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, according to Johnny Depp in the famous film “Libertine”, with a Russian pious translation of the name “Libertine”. We seem to be asked the question of why such a life is, in fact, from one carefully constructed, according to variable circumstances, dummy-mirages. And to this question of the director and two or three good actors, we are given a purely rhetorical answer, which is probably what the unassuming viewer of the American “problem” drama is supposed to be satisfied with. For none of us has ever had a shadow of a chance to make half a billion dollars and turn our lives into a respectable show to turn around. But the driver, cowardly fleeing the scene of the accident and wagging among the convulsively staged reality to avoid responsibility, is understandable far from speculatively, especially if it is a “bump” and there are always self-interested goodwill to excuse him.
And in this situation, leaving the purely textual convention of "we," I have to admit that I am completely on the side of the policeman Roth played. I tend to like bad boys more, especially when they’re right. Tsongkaba teaches me serenity and mercy.
Nicolas Jareki’s painting reveals the richness of compromise and compromise of wealth on display, which, through the effort of ill-will, prop up human feelings such as mercy, humanity, the capacity for empathy and compassion. The main character of the picture, Miller (Richard Gere), a financial tycoon with the ideology of Mr. Kane, but with a less easy fate, like the latter, resents what is unprofitable, as well as what does not fit into the plans. Miller aspires to succeed as Benjamin Franklin, but no longer feels obligated to pursue honesty in his philosophy. The six letters in the word money are thus inseparable from the hero himself, and indeed.
And yet, for all his apparent stiffness, Miller is evasive, like a snake, dodging obstacles. And his plans are mobile, they are in the worst sense somewhat beyond the human orbit, and when out of the ordinary happens, he picks himself up, acting as a dexterous businessman and taking the maximum from the situation. You can see the difference between a real oligarch. Thus, the difference between good will and evasive will is demonstrated, however, Nicholas Jareki does not sum up conclusions, he does not explain where the truth is, leaving the viewer to decide for himself.
You can compare the picture “Vicious passion” with the film “Cocaine”, where instead of Richard Gere, Johnny Depp acts as an odious figure. However, the outside world castigates the character of the second picture, forcing him to repent, while Nicholas Jareki refuses such a development. Instead, at the center of the action is the fate of a hypocritical but all-powerful individual, a kind of Tartuffe, but still not deprived of human emotions (as can be judged from the scene of a hug with his mother and a phone call, where Miller even wonders whether the contract will be canceled if he surrenders - and everything is serious here). Thus, the life of the hero is quite ordinary, and, as Richard Gere himself admitted in an interview, he plays not a villain, but a person. What we see from the conversation of the hero with his wife, where they talk about charity, which is an indirect consequence of those very financial frauds, the presence of which Nicholas Jareki does not draw categorical conclusions, but only demonstrates several accompanying circumstances.
There are several characters whose fate is important to understanding the hero’s philosophy, which are also controversial. For example, Brooke, the hero's daughter, who struggles to be proud of her father but is not critical of the demand. Despite what she knows, she will call her father a humanitarian and philanthropist. Brit Marling, in this sense, is beautiful, like Susan Sanderson, the actresses skillfully preserve the high-society moderation in facial expressions, without betraying the emotions of a young girl and wife who are cheating. A strange conclusion begs: the sin of complaining to them, the female branch of the dynasty (namely, the Miller dynasty hints at the negotiations for the sale of the company) is ennobled by charity due to a certain naughtiness of such a life. Both the daughter (Brit Marling), and the wife of the hero (Susan Sarandon), endure all the difficulties of a rich life, surprisingly considering the fact that the husband at night “goes for ice cream”, and the father is a scammer. A separate contribution is made by the character of Tim Roth, who, as well as in “Lie Me”, is at ease in the investigation, but does not try to use genius in his work, which, together with fake photos, puts him in the same category as Miller.
We see how heterogeneous the villain and his entourage is in the interpretation of Nicholas Jareki. However, not the best outcome, quite a claim benefit of the novice director, is a happy ending to the picture. The main saint (albeit with existing sins), and this is the character of Nate Parker, who carried out a mask of simplicity, incomprehensible to rich people like Miller, becomes a mirror in which the main character looks like when he sees that he is himself, honest. So, he allegedly justifies the happy completion of the picture, promising that indeed, money earned impurely, it is quite possible to spend on charity. Which, perhaps, is one of the main arguments in support of the authority of the protagonist for the viewer.
However, the authority, in no case, has not darkened, on the contrary, Richard Gere with his brilliant ability to hold almost assures the viewer of his righteousness, and measured music, as if invites us to get acquainted with those who can confidently tell us: “They are not like us”, but who are able to charm the viewer not only with their integrity, but with confidence in what is happening. The picture relies on the study of the heterogeneity of the world of large numbers and people in it prisoners, which undoubtedly makes it interesting to view.
8 out of 10
The first thing that catches the eye at the beginning of viewing is the name once again distorted by our distributors. Why “vicious passion” instead of the much more appropriate and, most importantly, original “arbitrage”? Apparently, the reflex developed in the 90s, according to which, if you add a little “strawberry”, let not in the content, so at least in the name – people will go – works in our days.
It's worth watching. At least because of two cool actors Richard Gere and Tim Roth.
In principle, if it were the will of the director – two modern Hollywood representatives like charismatic men could swap places – and the film would not lose. A great plot, although not new, well-built and filmed scenes on the theme: “There is no pure good and evil” or “Good does not always win, because there is also money”, will not leave you indifferent.
Richard Gere - after "Pretty Woman" perfectly copes with the images of successful businessmen, and from Tim Roth after, in my opinion, the phenomenal "Lie Detector" and the TV series "Lie Me" It was difficult to expect screw-up in the role of an all-knowing and arrogant policeman.
The ending was a little rattled. The option of “think it yourself”, in my opinion, does not suit this type of plot. This is where certainty is needed – either good or bad. And so... The feeling of understatement and dissatisfaction with the code haunts for some time after viewing.
8 out of 10
Unhurried thriller of the highest standard with a human face (Richard Gere)
Very high-quality movies. I can't believe it was shot by the debutant. Nicholas Jareki - you need to remember this name. Picture-air-temp gives a real director with a capital letter. Plus the reference thriller ambient from Cliff Martinez, permanent composer Stephen Soderbergh.
The plot background is malicious (financial crisis), but the film is absolutely timeless (emphasis on a person in a state of moral choice, relationship psychology). Along with ancient Greek plays or "Human tragedy" Balzac.
For the whole film, only one car flipped, the tie-up is simple, but the thriller turned out amazing. It's a pleasure to watch. Richard Gere is a charm. One of the tricks of the film is that you realize that Gere is a rich manipulator, buying the silence of a witness, a daughter, a wife, to get away from justice, but you empathize with him ... like yourself. You start trying his situation on yourself. The film raises a lot of slick ethical questions, but Gere's charm is so strong that you agree with his position. And then there's the investigator in the performance of Tim Roth - nasty, base.
Vox populi. People are confused. Is Richard Gere’s character good or bad? Does the director sympathize with him or denounce him?
In fact, confusing the viewer was the author's idea. As Richard Gere admits in an interview, he is not a villain, but a human being. Charming alpha male. One of the prototypes was Bill Clinton, whose adultery is the boyhood of the leader. And in the image Susan Sarandon you can recognize Hillary Clinton. Why did she forgive Bill? The world of the rich is a world of compromise, the art of adapting, of negotiating. Can we understand them? They're made from a different dough. At least try.
Like Ostap Bender, Richard Gere’s hero is a great combinator. And the key word here is great. As Bender-Mironov sang about himself, "Freeze, angels, look, I fly" and "You will appreciate the beauty of the game."
I appreciate it. Really beautiful.
- Why do you think you can trust him? - Because he's not like us!
I'll start with criticism.
First, Russian distributors planted a pig in this film. How could the word Arbitrage be translated as “vicious passion.” You’ve probably noticed that the screaming headlines of the yellow press, designed to attract attention in any way, often distort the essence of the article. The same story with this film: most viewers came to see the vicious relationship of the protagonist with his mistress, and finding the topic not sufficiently disclosed, considered the script weak, predictable, etc. There is still a part of the audience who dug deeper and decided that it was probably about the protagonist’s vicious passion for money. It's closer, but not in the bull's eye.
Secondly, even if you are very fond of cinema and follow the career of actors, directors, screenwriters, but are absolutely far from the world of business and do not have at least a little weighty life experience, well, write about what you know! After all, many people, reading your review, decide for themselves whether to go to this film. And seeing that the plot you found too bland and “sucked out of the finger”, and the motivation of the characters far-fetched, you can miss this good film.
Now let's move on to the review.
The actors are perfect. The genre is more drama than thriller. Special effects are not needed, in this film the main thing is the story itself.
Tinto Brass once said, “All ladies do this.” I would suggest the tagline for this Nicholas Jarecki movie, "All People Do This." What is it? Let's try to answer that.
The plot is clear and simple. Billionaire Robert Miller (Richard Gere) lives an ordinary life: his wife is engaged in charity and sports and is waiting for his husband at home, the children graduated from prestigious educational institutions and work in his father's corporation, there is a mistress - a gallery artist (the secretary no longer corresponds to the status). And even though partners are not always reliable, and friends are already selfless, Miller, as a real shark of business, is already used to this and easily maneuvers. Suddenly the hero gets into a car accident, and although he himself got off with slight bruises, the whole life rushes downhill. Reputation! That's what he cares about. Miller justifies his misdeeds by saying that many people’s lives and well-being depend on his reputation. He twists, uses his power, lies... for whom? Investors are responsible for them. He seems to be a negative hero. We are not inclined to respect rich people, they go head-to-head to their goals, and therefore our condemnation is elevated to a degree.
What about the other characters? And now we see that all of them are ready to do anything to achieve their personal goals. They do all this: lies, bribery, blackmail – it turns out that many people do not hesitate to use these tools. The meticulous investigator (Tim Roth) goes on a forgery, too much he wants to finally nail the rich man. The prosecutor follows the lead by issuing a warrant, but he is offered another motivation - a high-profile process should attract votes. The auditor, at the last minute, retracts his words and draws up a contract opinion, apparently because competitors made an impressive contribution to his pension fund. The deceived wife (Susan Saradon) is caring and meek at the beginning of the film is long accustomed to living in lies. She methodically knocks out a check for the next charitable donation, as if not noticing that her husband is on the verge of bankruptcy. However, consulting with a real estate agent clearly indicates preparation for a divorce, and the daughter’s advice to think only about herself, not “about him” – that she herself did so all her life. This is a woman's revenge, cruel and inevitable. Miller wasn’t ready for this turn. And only one person – a kid from Harlem (Nate Packer) is ready to help Miller by putting his own freedom at stake. He gave his word, he honors the memory of his father, he is a child of the streets, he is not like all of them, and therefore he can be trusted.
Who should we judge and who should we sympathize with?
Such stories are not uncommon in the business world, and it is the motivation that is so transparent that the plot lines are indeed predictable.
9 out of 10
I would like a little more sarcasm for the collective image of the “investor”.
How many movies have we seen about the riots of millionaires and billionaires in the last year? Here and “Cosmopolis” with Pattinson, and the revived “Dark Knight” with Bale, and Tony Stark Robert Downey Jr. in “The Avengers”, and not yet descended from the screens of the Russian “Spirit Less”. We have seen so many varieties of these very riots that they have already had time to get tired and bored, but still ...
"Arbitrage" is a real economic and political drama with elements of detective and not very well-successful thriller tensions. If you do not want to delve into all the subtleties of the economic component, then it is better to look at the DVD of the same billionaire Avengers and calm down.
In general, this picture is recommended to watch only three groups of viewers:
Fans and fans of Richard Gere, who set themselves the goal of watching his entire filmography.
Tim Roth fans and fans, with the same goals as Richard Gere fans.
Fans and fans of political and economic dramas who like J. Edgar and the like.
I can’t say for sure, but other bands will probably either leave the room or fall asleep in the middle of the movie.
All of the above is not a criticism of the film itself, but only a warning!
Now in essence. "Arbitrage" is a good movie for fans of the genre. Richard Gere as Robert Miller is graceful, charismatic and highly persuasive. Tim Roth’s character Michael Brier has become one of my favorites. The manner of speech and behavior of the actor himself, combined with the concentration and detachment of Cal Lightman (the character of Tim Roth from the TV series “Lie Me”) and the carelessness and charisma of David Mills (the character of Brad Pete from the movie “Seven”) give a stunning effect and make the character even more memorable and interesting than Robert Miller himself.
The plot develops o-o-o-very slowly, from time to time everything that happens seems superfluous and unnecessary, not allowing to consider the essence, but it is more of the author's handwriting, or rather the one he wants to buy (after all, the debut!). Yes, it is peculiar, but you soon get used to it and begin to enjoy watching it.
6 out of 10
The debut full-length film directed by Nicholas Jareki “Vicious Passion”, showed itself from the good side and fully justified its genre.
The translation of the film by our distributors, when the English name appears, causes, at least, bewilderment. The original name - "Arbitrage" is translated ambiguously. The first is the court, and the second is the buying and selling of securities. It is difficult to say what exactly our distributors identified as a vicious passion, since both spheres of activity are shown in the picture from the unsightly side.
Richard Gere, who starred in the film, plays 60-year-old financier Robert Miller. Engaged in what turned out to be a dubious adventure with Russian copper mines, he made an impressive sum. This trouble, however, could not bring him to his knees and, armed with his dodgy mind, he confidently keeps his business afloat with numerous write-offs and forgeries of financial statements, while simultaneously trying to sell him to the same as he is a bigwig.
Robert is not a moral man and has long acquired a mistress (another vicious passion), which, at the same time, he sincerely loves, promotes to high society, helps during the financial crisis and tries to find time for her not only for one meeting a month. Having sacrificed his sleep in order to meet his mistress, he gets into an accident that forces him to weave another endless web of lies. Having got, in the language of one character of the famous Russian film, in the “triple pitchforks with monograms”, from the side of his wife and a rich pedigree, including his daughter and grandchildren, a large and main deal in his life and an inventive detective Michael Breyer (Tim Roth), he had no other way out.
Tim Roth is still fine, holding the stamp and in many ways pulling the film. His acting talent was pretty fun and just pleased a small male audience, when as most of the cinema was filled with an excited female audience who came to see Richard Gere.
Summarizing the above, we can say that it is worth going to the screening if you like bloodless and violence-free films that slightly press the brain with puzzles and “chess” thoughts of the characters and follow the advanced ways of negotiating and making deals. Well, I'm sure women will make a pilgrimage to Richard Gere's new film without this review.
Attempts to escape justice have always been interesting to viewers. After all, it is so nice to be on the other side of the law, at least while watching the film.
Robert Miller has achieved everything in life. He has a family, a business and a mistress. But, like everyone else, he has his weaknesses, Robert is fooled and has to urgently sell his company. There is also a car accident in which his mistress dies. The main character will have to get out of all the misfortunes at once, any can end for him the loss of freedom, capital and family.
The debutant in the full-length film Nicholas Jareki took up ungrateful work. Shooting a compelling story without a script is almost impossible. The director tries to interest the viewer, but continues to move on the "lead" at himself, in the form of a screenwriter, thereby not giving himself the opportunity to develop the action.
The plot of the picture is template and boring. With apparent abundance, the author refuses to contribute to the picture, something more than a million times seen situation. Heroes are cardboard, and storylines are sucked out of the finger.
Richard Gere is nice to see, he is back in the big movie and clearly does not want to return to the dark. He plays with restraint, but that's enough.
Tim Roth continues the list of roles - I'm a detective again. Well, we've all seen it before.
Susan Sarandon plays the role of not the first plan, but in the second half he gets his few scenes and plays them just wonderful.
"Arbitration" - a one-time movie for fans of the genre. Others should think about whether it is worth spending your time on things you have seen before.
Boredom.
To repeat Hitchcock, the main thing in the film is the script. He's absolutely nothing here. Quite often there are some far-fetched motivations, illogical moves, tantrums, confusion and so on, and so on. Cinema is, first of all, a different reality that we are led to believe in, and then from the “other” it becomes “key”. But how can a film where a character whines about half a movie about his main business, and then the simplest, most primitive move that enters all business textbooks, bring everything to mind, make me believe it?
I don't believe it.
There are such directors who in their debut films try to give a full picture of themselves to the audience. Jareki is one of those. This film is simply a catalogue of conflicts and problems that can be used in modern dramatic films. There is treason, and the attitude of fathers and children, and the choice between family and work, racial issues, the problem of relations between the police and ordinary citizens. By the way, the police representative is played by Tim Roth, who, together with his beard, each time falling into the frame, destroyed the worthless and pathetic foundation that Jareki built.
Sumbure.
Susan Sarandon is constantly beating eyes on everyone, regardless of whether she is a loving mother or a migraine. Richard Gere tries to hide behind his smile, but close-ups are ruthless. The rest of the actors, including the French artist, play boring stereotypical characters, which makes their play just as boring and archaic.
Cliché.
I will not even stutter about the camera work, the work of the sound operator, about cardboard decorations and so on on on the list. Does it make sense to waste words on things that are simply missing in this creation? The installation is kind of wild, completely. The footage jumps up and down, the scenes stop: the hero has not yet managed to finish his next pathetic phrase, and we are somewhere else. And the ending is just a masterpiece of what not to do. Poor aesthetes will not even be able to commit suicide, this film makes such a shocking impression with its total negligence and disregard for the picture.
In short, if you're going to go to this movie, don't go, stop, think hard, and... Don't go. It's really not worth it. And if you want to admire Gere, look at the immortal “Pretty Woman”.
The original name of the tape – “Arbitrage” – would sound dry and incomprehensible. Some kind of deal. Buying and selling securities... Whether the case is "Vicious passion", especially if "dear" flashes on the screen Letitia Casta and chic, in spite of her own years, Susan Sarandon. Choice. Vice. Ruin and shame for his sake. But none of this will happen, for the passion, clothed in silk underwear, is much less vicious than the cold intellectual love for the six-letter invention of the Phoenicians.
D.E.N.B.G.I. – alpha and omega businessman Robert Miller, who lived to sixty, remaining in the eyes of others (and even in his own!) a good friend, a godly father, a respected leader, an ardent lover. There was a lot of money and it flowed like water. There has never been a choice between them and something less material. But the moment of truth comes, the airbag of excess millions is rapidly losing weight, and kind blind people who annually gather at the festive table, for the first time see a stranger at the head of it. An aging but still vibrant shark that used to hunt profits in other waters. And the shark sees its own reflection in their frightened eyes.
In many ways, the film is made by the actors. Richard Gere's charisma makes Miller acceptable, allows him to sympathize where the scripted decision of the picture gives little reason for this. In his performance, the hero from God Money turns into a disabled person whose ability to understand the world is limited by paper dust and watermarks. So perhaps the most interesting part of the picture is Miller’s relationship with the boy Jimmy, for whom there are more important things in life than two million bucks and a happy future. Old debts. The need for respect. Indestructible racial complexes. And where the mind of a millionaire tells him that Jimmy is a fool and behaves accordingly, his intuition tells him, "He's not like you." And that’s why you can trust him.
"Vicious Passion" is too calm to attract fans of classic thrillers. The risks here are too vague (apart from the prospect of a life sentence for being present in an accident). The collisions are too far-fetched. The action is too slow. And yet this is a very worthy representative of the subgenre of the “loop”: the victim of circumstances rushes in the circle of events, failures, non-random accidents, and fate then mercifully gives inhalation, then again deprives air, hope for salvation. If the victim not only flounders helplessly in the snares, waiting for death, but resists to the end, if she is endowed with intelligence, intuition, capabilities, then it is doubly interesting to follow such a struggle.
As an economic term, "Arbitrage" was first used in 1704 by Mateu de la Porte in his treatise "La science des negocians et teneurs de livres" ("The science of trade"), to denote the procedure of considering different exchange rates to find the most profitable places to issue and redeem bills. - Wikipedia.
And this is almost an accurate description of the film, especially if you paraphrase "the procedure for considering various deceptive courses to find the most profitable ways". Arbitrage, who came up with the idea of calling it "The Vicious Passion"? Although perhaps the localizer was referring to a vicious passion for money... no, too subtle for ours. They wanted to ride Richard Gere again as a hero lover. Oh, everything from "Pretty Woman" can not get rid of.
"Genius." Billionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist. No matter how worn these words are, they also fit Richard Gere’s character, Robert Miller. Although the “playboy” is probably not so good, but still it does not prevent him from keeping his wife and mistress. The mistress, however, dies quite quickly due to his fault, fell asleep at the wheel and he has to retreat quickly, because there is a big deal on the nose, and any publicity will disrupt it. Such a simple set-up opens the way to a tangled tangle of relationships between a millionaire and his family, friends, acquaintances, subordinates, police. And all this history teaches a simple truth - to think always. And then not even Tim Roth's detective can sew anything on you. Although until the last he expected that he would start, to speak like his own hero from “Theory of Lies” or “Lie Me”, who likes it more.
In general, the director skillfully plays on stereotypes. You are a millionaire, you are in a bad situation, you need to get out of there quickly, who will you call? The only nigger I know! The hero trusts him, but the viewer understands that he should not be trusted. Even though their president is black. Oh, not enough, just a little more and I'm gonna talk like Cartman from South Park. But it turns out a really interesting and confusing story, the denouement of which is unexpected, even though it is talked about from the very beginning.
Robert Miller is a very human person (forgive the tautology), he is not trying for himself, but everything for his wife, for his children, for investors, for the hundreds of innocent people who will have to puff on his joint. No, really, he repeats it so many times that he believes the beginning. Began to believe those kind, puppy eyes of Richard Gere. I'm soft, now it's clear why there were so many single, middle-aged women at the session. By the way, Susan Sarandon (Ellen Miller) has already played Richard’s wife in the movie “Let’s Dance” where he “faithed” her with Jennifer Lopez. And now he's cheating on her, but with Letitia Casta, Falbala from Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar. Well, remember she was there... with such a... chic braid, Obelix was all over her.
Although the vicious passion here is only ten minutes, but do not judge the film by the title, especially localized. This is a psychological drama where you can play psychic. Try and guess what happens next. To win a case, you need to be able to think. “Long live our court! The Most Humane Court in the World!
Billionaire Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is a pathological cheater. He deceives his wife (Suzan Sarandon), cheating on her with a mistress (Letitia Caste), deceives his mistress, promising to leave his wife, then at least in time to come to the exhibition in her gallery (which he himself bought her). Gere is the head of one of those mysterious hedge funds that control the US financial system. He continues to deceive his daughter and business partner (Brit Marling), a friend who loaned him $412 million in friendship, and a tycoon who is going to sell his company to, of course, spend more time with his family (which, of course, is a lie). It’s clear that Robert Miller is one of those financial sharks that brought down the global economy in 2008, and director Nicholas Jareki is determined to make him pay. But not for financial crimes – no one paid for them (in every sense of this meaningful word).
So, one late night, in the car with his mistress on the way to his country house, Robert crashes into a bumper, and when he comes to himself finds that the mistress will not come to himself. A little shook the surrounding silence with his cry, he estimates how many millions he will lose if the police, investors and wife dig deeper into his life and cold-bloodedly leaves the beautiful body of Letizia Casta in a burning car, saving his reputation. He is now facing charges of unintentional murder. In such an unenviable situation, Miller calls the black son of his former driver Jimmy (Nate Parker), and asks him to take him to the city without further questions. At the scene of the accident, meanwhile, Detective Braer appears (Tim Roth), full of hatred for the rich and determination to find the culprit of the accident.
All this sounds like a hook-up to a detective thriller about the pursuit of a police officer after a criminal, but Braer has already solved the crime - in the morning he interrogates Miller, and at lunch he takes Jimmy into custody, threatening him with a ten-year sentence if he does not give him a billionaire. As Robert’s lawyer puts it, “The real world is different than what you see on TV.” And from this movie too.
"Vicious Passion" is twice as long and twice as boring as any episode of any police series, as Jareki's drama and suspense are of no interest. He does not even care about the death of the heroine Letizia Casta - she does not receive a small flashback. The filmmaker is only concerned with one question: “Which is stronger – justice or wealth?” And the answer is disappointing.
“Vicious passion” is not driven by passion (not to the place appeared in the Russian version of the name) or death, but money. They justify Miller, refusing to plead guilty to a crime (what is ten years for an innocent person if it protects a thousand workers?), and Miller offers Jimmy for his silence. A decade behind bars is estimated at $2 million - a ridiculous figure given that exactly the same amount Miller's conscientious wife is asking him for in the morning for an ordinary charity event. Money is also a good reason for a detective to put Miller behind bars - Tim Roth selflessly fears: "He will not get dry of their waters just because he is shown on CNBC."
Marling and Sarandon play a rather decorative role in the film, including acting once per film, Tim Roth continues to play Cal Lightman (without even bothering to change gestures and facial expressions). Against their background, Parker stands out for the better, who at least got a live (and only positive) character. But the main place on the screen is Gear. In principle, he plays men who can afford an expensive suit and a good whiskey all his career. At 63, he's still fit - his look, that's the look of a man who is sure he has a couple more years to squeeze Letizia Casta before retiring from the Major League. Gere is charismatic and at the same time careless, and sometimes he even manages to make the viewer smile.
The lead actor struggles to give "Vicious Passion" the energy it needs, but Jareki's fatalism works against the film. Miller can’t be bothered; instead, we can only look dispassionately at the effects of his atrocities on his friends, business partners, and family. The most amazing thing is that some of them don’t care. Miller’s millions have corrupted not only him, but everyone around him. And when the most positive of the characters in the film asks: “Do you think the money will fix all this?”, there is nothing left but to agree with Miller’s answer: “Do you need anything else?”
6 out of 10