Recensioni degli utenti

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.

"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.

Contrary to what you may think initially, nothing happens by coincidence on `Arlington Road.' Outstanding performances by Jeff Bridges (As Michael Faraday) and Tim Robbins (Oliver Lang) highlight this taut thriller about terrorism in America, a disturbing film instilled with a sense of loss, fear and paranoia. Director Mark Pellington perhaps does not mine this vein to the depths, but there is still a silver lining in this movie, which contains elements of two of Alfred Hitchcock's classics, `The Man Who Knew Too Much,' and `North By Northwest.' Had this film been made forty years ago, in fact, Hitchcock would have been at the helm and we would have had James Stewart instead of Bridges and Richard Widmark in place of Robbins. When Jeff Bridges stars in a thriller, you can usually bet that the project is going to be a cut above the average fare of the genre, and this one is no exception, arguably his best of it's kind since `Jagged Edge.' This is a riveting film, and the tension builds steadily throughout as we uncover, along with Faraday, the dark secrets which ultimately lead to an explosive climax. The excellent supporting cast includes Joan Cusack, Hope Davis and Robert Gossett. A trip to `Arlington Road' is a jolt to the senses and may cause you to stop and rethink a few things about your life. At the very least, you're going to want to finally meet that neighbor who moved in across the street last year. I rate this one 8/10.

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.

It seems like every year, there's one or two films which are far from perfect but nonetheless shake us up in ways better films don't quite do. Last year, it was BULWORTH, and this year, it's ARLINGTON ROAD. Obviously, after all that's happened this decade in America, from Waco to Oklahoma City, the time is ripe for a movie to explore the cracks in the American dream which brought about events like those. This film ultimately asks more questions than it answers, but that may just be a condition inherent to this type of film. More troubling is two things: (1) Though I agree with those(and I'll try not to give away too much here) who theorize the ending changes the whole perspective of the film, there are still too many key narrative cheats(a conversation Robbins supposedly had with Bridges' son seems unbelievable, and the traffic light scene near the end also is) to make it fully effective; (2) The film seems a little confused of what it's about; it is a study of one man's psyche, or the nation's?

Still, ARLINGTON ROAD shouldn't be dismissed. There are troubling questions explored, and you don't have to be a conspiracy nut to believe those so-called "fringe" hate groups are entering the mainstream at a frightening rate for a so-called "civilized" society. The ending is also powerful, and though I understand it, more than anything else, was responsible for the delays, I applaud whoever was in charge for not changing it(though again, how they got there is another story). Bridges' performance is another thing which makes more sense once you look back with the ending of the film in mind, and it doesn't seem like over-acting. Robbins is a little more problematic; there are scenes where he's convincing, and then scenes where he goes over-the-top and shouldn't. Hope Davis doesn't have a big part, but she injects a lot into it as usual. But the biggest surprise here is Joan Cusack. Anyone who thinks of her only as a (good)comic actress will be in for a shock; there's one scene involving her which is the scariest in the film.

Again, ultimately, while it leaves you with nagging doubts about the quality, ARLINGTON ROAD makes you think enough to recommend it.

A surprising, exciting thriller with an end totally against the rules of Hollywood. The plot is based on real facts, but the arrangements of absurd coincidences make the whole story not very believable. Was is necessary to present this group of mad assassins like aliens from outer space? Nevertheless, it entertained me, and I left the theatre in a strange mood which I can best describe as disturbed and threatened.

"Arlington Road" is the perfect example for how thrillers should be made.

A good story, a good atmosphere, good actors and voila! you have got a good thriller. "Arlington Road" has got it all and it's a near perfect movie that is a must see for the thriller fans.

The intense beginning sets the mood for the rest of the movie. It's atmospheric and tense right till the good ending. I'll admit that there are some slow moments and some distracting plot lines but it doesn't take away the tension or ruins the atmosphere in any kind of way.

The movie is very well casted with Jeff Bridges as the more and more paranoid getting Michael Faraday and Tim Robbins as his neighbour that he begins to suspects of being a terrorist. Both main actors pull of really well and help to created the good thriller atmosphere that this movie has.

Good thriller with a great atmosphere, story, actors and ending that will stay with you forever.

9/10

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Brilliant ending. Thought it was a run of the mill thriller. But for a change we didn't get a Hollywood ending. Instead, we got an ending that made us reflect on earlier things in the film. Just one man responsible? Yes - we're safe now

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.

This is a nifty suspense story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I was craving some ice cream as we watched it but couldn't tear myself away until it was over. (And I love ice cream!) And the ending is, well, intriguing. It got a little silly in spots but overall it's a dandy nail biter with solid acting, great direction, creative camera work and a taut script. I gave it an 8.

This was an intense little thriller, dealing with the premise that your friendly next door neighbours might also just be terrorists. Jeff Bridges plays a widowed college professor who (in a gripping opening scene) comes across a bloody 10 year old boy staggering down the middle of the street. He appears to have been in some kind of explosion and Bridges rushes him into emergency. These first 5 minutes set the tone for the rest of the movie; dark, mysterious and intense with Bridges bordering on hysteria.

The boy turns out to be his neighbours kid whom he makes friends with, but while having a beer in their living room he comes across some suspicious blueprints which sets into paranoia and soon has Bridges investigating into who these people really are. They seem normal enough, but... Tim Robbins & Joan Cusack play the neighbours, -what a great choice for the bad guys, giving solid performances and very atypical for terrorists which made them even scarier.

Bridges does a good job too, he has a lot of scenes without dialogue, just him running around figuring stuff out, freaking out, driving fast, yelling, he does a lot of yelling and running with big facial expressions.

I will say that while the whole movie was intense there were also sections that dragged, so that the pacing felt off at times.

The ending was.... unexpected to say the least. I think my exact words were "holy sh!t he ----- and that just happened, wow." Very un-Hollywood, including a scary spin regarding the angle the media takes post event. 2/6/15

I enjoyed Arlington Road most of the way through. I think the thing that bothered me was how the film looked. I didn't care for the lighting in this film very much. I loved the ending which I was surprised by completely. Jeff Bridges was very good in his role and Tim Robbins was a quiet and charming bad guy. It's a good film.

Arlington Road was a real surprise for me and I did not expect this movie to turn out the way it did. Jeff Bridges is one of the best actors in Hollywood and he has played some really memorable characters in his career. Tim Robbins has always intrigued me as an actor and in this movie also he has given a really fine performance. The movie is pretty relevant as we are living in a world where we can not take anything for granted. There are some important questions and issues raised by this movie that a lot of people need to introspect about. The way things have happened in many countries across the world we can never be sure from where the next enemy may be coming from. For this thing alone I feel Arlington Road is a movie worth watching...

"Widowed when his FBI agent wife is killed by a right-wing group, college professor Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) becomes obsessed with the culture of these groups - especially when his new neighbors, the all-American Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack), start acting suspiciously. With each twist, the mystery deepens and the question looms - is Faraday just consumed by fear and driven by paranoia, or has a lethal conspiracy been born on Arlington Road?" asks the DVD sleeve.

Director Mark Pellington and award-winning scripter Ehren Kruger make "Arlington Road" a fine thriller, from its "gripping" beginning to the "edge-of-your-seat" ending, it's entirely captivating. Mr. Pellington knows how to build suspense, and he elicits fine performances from a eclectic cast. Mr. Bridges' endearing paranoiac hero carries film - like he carries Spencer Treat Clark (as Grant) in the opening sequence. Doesn't that just grab you?

Both frightening and neighborly, Mr. Robbins and Ms. Cusack reveal their hands slowly. Mr. Clark and Mason Gamble (as Brady) are genuine. Hope Davis (as Brooke Wolfe) and Robert Gossett (as Whit Carver) keep you guessing, even when you know what's going on. Only the "Movie of the Week" ending overreaches - not necessarily because it's an incredible idea, but because it's just not that kind of movie. This is, more simply, a crowd-pleaser.

******* Arlington Road (3/19/99) Mark Pellington ~ Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis

I really enjoyed this exciting and effective thriller. One to digest and ponder on. Very well acted and executed. Kind of grim compared to many Hollywood releases. worthy watching.