What was the last new Richard Gere movie you saw? If I were a betting man (and I am a betting man), I'd guess it was 2002's Chicago, where the actor lit up the screen as sly lawyer Billy Flynn. Since then, Gere has been working his thespian magic in roles in movies that have been consistently lost in the shuffle: Bee Season, The Hoax, The Flock, I'm Not There, Brooklyn's Finest and The Double. They aren't bad movies—The Hoax was one of the best movies of 2006—but Gere's work just never made a splash. His performances were just solid enough.

Thankfully, his latest film, Arbitrage, should reverse the trend and focus the spotlight on Gere once again. The directorial debut of producer Nicholas Jarecki (Tyson, The Informers), Arbitrage follows Robert Miller (Gere), a Bernie McMadoff who finds his devious plan to sell off his company—founded on fraudulent earnings—in hot water. Adding to his stress is a brutal accident that leaves his romantic affair with an artist exposed. With police breathing down his neck, his daughter (Brit Marling) digging too deep into the company's numbers and his wife (Susan Sarandon) having enough intuition to know that something's up, Miller navigates the consequences of his choices, piling on the lies and deception in hopes of making it out unscathed.

Arbitrage is Richard Gere at his Richard Gere-iest. The actor exudes charisma and can shoot a grin like an sniper—making him a perfect fit for smarmy, suave characters. This talent is especially fitting for Robert Miller, who plays the puppeteer to his friends and family with enough charm that, even as an audience member, it's hard not to feel bad for the guy. But in the end, Miller is a swindler, a villain, and Gere delivers on the necessary murkiness of the character's morality. While his performance isn't that far removed from Chicago or The Hoax, the timeliness of the Miller's crimes give the whole package—Gere included–extra weight.

While the movie sports familiar faces, none impress on the same level as Gere. Nate Parker (Red Tails, Red Hook Summer) pops up in a solid supporting role as a pawn in Miller's web of lies, but Arbitrage is Gere's show. This is his Michael Clayton, a vehicle for Gere to spit out sharp dialogue and shoot down his competition with cold stares. There's already talk that Arbitrage could gain momentum and earn Gere Oscar buzz—maybe a bit early (we're not even done with this year's awards season!), but not completely unfounded. Arbitrage empowers Richard Gere in a way we haven't seen in years. Now people just have to see it.

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