Arlington Road DVD
Columbia Tri-Star
Rated: R
Genre: Drama
Length: 119 minutes
Director: Mark Pellington
Year: (1999)
Britt Gillette's Arlington Road DVD Review
Winner of the Nicholl Fellowship Screenwriting competition sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Arlington Road is only the sixth winner of the award to actually make it onto the big screen. Sporting a star-studded cast, the film creates an aura of tension and suspense that keeps the audience glued to the screen. With a thought-twisting and surprising plotline, Arlington Road reinforces the post-September 11th (even though it's a 1999 movie) mentality that terrorists lurk around every corner. Tim Robbins puts in his best performance since appearing in the critically acclaimed Shawshank Redemption, and Jeff Bridges turns in a memorable performance himself. Both are fitting, since Arlington Road is a memorable movie…
Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) is a college professor who specializes in studying homegrown terrorists in the United States. A resident of Northern Virginia, his FBI agent wife died in the midst of a botched Ruby Ridge-style government raid. With a ten-year-old son, Grant (Spencer Treat Clark), to raise, Michael becomes an expert on the mindset and methods of terrorists such as Timothy McVeigh. Studying the terrorist threat becomes the central focus of his life, and its domination of his thoughts causes Michael to develop an acute form of paranoia.
But when the Arlington Road (the street where Michael lives) house next door is purchased by Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack), Michael's life begins to change for the better. The friendliness of his new neighbors creates new inroads in Michael's ability to coup with the loss of his wife, and Grant becomes best friends with the Langs' son Brady (Mason Gamble). Things are going smoothly between the Faradays and the Langs until Michael catches Oliver in a petty lie. Immediately, his paranoia kicks in, and as the Langs continue their strange behavior (such as hiding a set of blueprints from him), Michael's fears get the best of him.
Investigating the background of the Langs, Michael finds out that they are not who they claim to be. In fact, Oliver is actually known as William Fenimore. Convinced that the Langs are planning an attack on the FBI headquarters (one on par with the Oklahoma City bombing), Michael attempts to convince his son, his colleagues, and anyone who will listen. But no one seems to understand. Will Michael convince the FBI before it's too late? Or is he only a delusional madman living out his paranoid fantasies in the aftermath of his wife's death?
Wrought with suspense and peppered with hair-raising moments, Arlington Road is a unique and compelling film. The premise is befitting of a post-September 11th terrorist film, and I wouldn't be surprised if Hollywood remakes the film using Islamic terrorists instead of the homegrown brand from this movie. With a surprise ending which will keep you guessing until the end (and probably afterward since the whole thing tends to stretch the limits of reality), Arlington Road is a fun and interesting film. Possessing a well-maintained level of suspense and an interesting set of characters, Arlington Road is a definite must-see film…
Britt Gillette
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Posted on 7 February 2005