While "The Master" earned the most headlines this weekend for its record breaking limited run opening, another film also made an impressive bow. Nicholas Jarecki's financial world thriller "Arbitrage" began hitting theaters (and VOD) bringing in a solid $1.9 million at 197 locations. But even more, the movie is already earning some awards season chatter, particularly for Richard Gere who gives one of his best turns in recent memory. For Jarecki, making his feature film debut on the picture, he couldn't have asked for a better start and he's already got some some ambitious plans for his next outing.
Playlist colleague Jen Vineyard recently caught up with the director, and he revealed he's brewing something that will give a serious nod to two serious '70s classics. "It's a detective story set in Los Angeles that deals with a young man who's a surveillance expert, who gets involved in a conspiracy involving electric cars, and it's got a romance story in it, and it owes a debt to 'Chinatown,' " he explained.
But a movie about a surveillance expert also brings to mind one of Francis Ford Coppola's best films, "The Conversation." And yes, that one will be an influence as well.
"Definitely. Those are the two big influences. I'm hoping I can find a way to make it my own, but we'll see," he continued. "I'm not so fast at writing. I've been at it about five months, and hoping to be done by the end of the year with the script, and then maybe we can make it next year."
Clearly, Jarecki is looking to strike while the iron is hot and certainly we'd definitely be up for an old school, smart, stylish detective tale. Promising things ahead from a helmer who was made a strong impression his first time. "Arbitrage" is in theaters now.