Arlington Road

"Arlington Road" is a Crime - Thriller in which we watch a man saving the life of a young boy and after meeting the boy's parents starts to suspect them believing that the aren't what they appear to be. He finds some secrets but some of them could be deadly for everyone.

I liked this movie because it had a very interesting plot with some plot twists that not only I couldn't predict but I couldn't even think. The direction which was made by Mark Pellington was exceptional and he did a very good job at it and succeeded on transferring the mystery and the agony of the main characters to the audience. The interpretations of both Tim Robbins who played as Oliver Lang and Jeff Bridges who played as Michael Faraday were simply amazing. I highly recommend everyone to watch this movie because I am sure that you won't be disappointed.

Bridges plays the same character as always, but fits nicely into this part. Robbins plays a very back stage part for most of the film, the main concentration is on the small minded paranoia of Bridges. Brilliant film which brings home some harsh, hard truths about American society and security. An interesting storyline, which excels beyond the average Hollywood thriller, the typical guessing game of the goodies and baddies plays a secondary role to the real story. A uniquely intelligent terrorist thriller from Hollywood. Don't miss it.

Maybe I'm very easily amused, but I thought this was one of the best movies I've ever seen about the sinking abyss of paranoia. I think it's very difficult to make a believable movie about paranoia, and 'Arlington Road' is very believable--as least, while you're watching it.

Admittedly, after you've seen it, you'll see the holes, and how you've been manipulated--but while you're watching it, you'll be just as confused as Bridges' character, wondering, "is he right? Or just a nutcase?"

This movie operates entirely on the psychological plane. There aren't lots of cool explosions (well, OK, a few) and there isn't an expensive car being smashed every five minutes or someone's head being blown open with a handgun. Yet it leaves you breathless, panicked, scared, and disturbed. How easy is *that* to do without endless special effects?

Some have complained that the timing of Robbins' character catching Bridges red-handed over and over was lame and unbelievable. I think they've missed the point--it adds to the confusion, the paranoia, and the madness of Bridges' character, and to ours also.

In fact, the entire movie is structured this way. Just when the plot seems predictable and we think we can settle back and watch it follow a familiar formula, the rug is yanked away and we don't know what to believe. This happens not once, but constantly.

If you have to categorize it, think of it as 'The Sting', with a dastardly political agend--in other words, the gentile crime of that 1920's piece fast-forwarded into the dismal world of moral-less America, circa 1999.

The ending was extremely un-Hollywood, and left me angry, disturbed, and unsettled. And this, friends, is why Hollywood doesn't make movies like this. All anyone has complained about is how unsettling it is. Well, the next time you watch a movie end in a boring, predictable way, remember that it's probably making more money and wooing more critics and fans than 'Arlington Road'. (Reminds one of what they kept saying in 'The Player': "because *that's* reality!")

As an aside, the opening credits were the spookiest I've ever seen. They set the tone perfectly for a movie that reflects the existential, empty, lonely, scary, frightening world that may or may not be right out our very door.

If you enjoy watching a movie that will cause you to slam your fist on the arm of your chair, put you in a bad mood for the next day, make you yell at the news "YEAH RIGHT!" and wonder if you'll ever know "The Truth" about ANYTHING, this is your flick. I recommend it to anyone who wants some vinegar to balance the sugar of everything else made by Hollywood, and a reminder that things are rarely what they seem.

Although the storyline's "coincidental" nature seems a bit sloppy, "Arlington Road" is a decent thriller with a great climax. The film gets tense twenty minutes in and the tension does not go down until the very end. Jeff Bridges' powerhouse performance as Prof. Michael Faraday and Tim Robbins' portrayal of the suspected neighbor Oliver Lang make the film even more enjoyable.

It must be one of the best conspiracy thrillers out there for the genre lovers.

The story starts with a shocker. A wounded boy goes down the street while blood drops drip to the asphalt. It's the most adequate beginning of a movie like this. (see synopsis). I did like screenplay and the characters, they are well written. The cast acts passionate and keeps the movie fluent. There is a twist I didn't see coming and I think the whole scenario is frightening. I was well entertained, so I recommend it.