Arlington Road

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.

Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins stars in this very original thriller. I thought Tim Robbins did an excellent job as the bad guy and Jeff Bridges is as always good.This movie is one of the better thrillers I have seen, it has some very creepy scenes and the ending is one of a kind.I have read that many people was unsatisfied with the ending,but I must say that I really liked it.It shows that it does not always go the way we want and that life is not always fair. I will not spoil anything so I am just going to say that this is a movie you have to see and I promise that it will be one of the better movies you have seen in a while.

I had high hopes for this movie, featuring a cast of top actors. Unfortunately, the plot is incredibly unrealistic - to say the plot is thin would be incorrect, as that would suggest there is a plot that holds together. Spoiler: Am I really to believe that a group of terrorists would build a sophisticated and precise plan relying on exactly predicting the actions of a man in a panic? Such a plot would have a ridiculously small chance of success...

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 is one of those films that will be dug up many decades from now and folks will be questioning why it wasn't one of the best films of that year. This film is shocking, it's makes one feel paranoid, it makes one question government, security, makes one realize how deep love can go and that is love of spouse/country/political beliefs. This film provides a great performance by Jeff Bridges, with excellent performances by Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack. Most of all, it will get you to think. This is not a film for those who do not want to venture into a different type of a mind of a "terrorist", this is not the film for those who want to see happy endings, especially if you want the government to come in and save characters. It doesn't. This is a film that takes every notion and bends them, especially the subject matter. In 1999, who would wonder if their neighbors harbored any ill will? You do now. In 1999 who would think that terrorist think this way? You do now. In 1999 who would think that anyone as normal looking, white upper middle classed, as those neighbors were associated with fanatics? You do now. this film, for all its glory and mistakes, IS a view into a future..or a past..or both? Many posters are upset with the ending. The ending is shocking, I'll agree. A let down? Nope. Did I see it coming? NO. Hence my like for the film. There is so much in this film from the opening frame to the end, its a shame just to call it suspense, its a shame to just call it a thriller, its a shame just to call it political and its a shame just to say it terrorist get away with it all....it does all of those things, but what it does the most is have you look into the faces of all of this and understand how the innocent can be made into "whatever" by "whomever". The question is, whom do we trust in the climate as the movie proposes? The non-happy ending provides a clue. I recommend this film highly, but only if you are prepared to view it at least twice, open minded, and without politics. It's a hard swallow, but a damn good script that will have you biting your nails at points, and maybe upset you in the end because of the conclusion. But taking risks are important in film, making you think far beyond the time the film has ended are too. Take a chance and view this one, see for yourself.

This is an awful movie. I have never seen so many plotholes in a movie that takes itself seriously. I hardly ever say that a movie was a waste of my time, but this time there is nothing else I can do: Arlington Road is a complete waste of anyones time!! SPOILERS: It's the intention of Oliver Lang, that Michael Farraday will go to the pay phone, sees the truck, realizes that this truck has got something to do with his son, follows the truck, DOES NOT GET INTO TROUBLE WITH THE POLICE DURING HIS CHASE (!), sees his son, gets away from his car, goes back to his car, knows where the bombing will take place, IS ABLE TO GET IN THE BUILDING (!)(despite the fact that this is a highly guarded building, and that Farraday doesn't have permission to enter it). Every one of these actions could NOT have been predicted this accurate. And these are just a very few of the many, many unbelievable things in this movie.

Arlington Road must be rated "R" for Ridiculous, because it's one of the most implausible and preposterous films I've seen this year. I was initially drawn to the film because of the lead actors, Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins, but I left feeling thoroughly disappointed at the way this fantastical tale was so crudely and clumsily constructed. Aside from the transparent screenplay and conspicuously poor direction, I was generally distracted by Jeff Bridges way-over-the-top depiction of a "terrorism professor" who conveniently happens to have a bonafide terrorist and his lovely robotic-like wife and children move in across the street. Mr. Bridges is capable of much better acting than his self-conscious performance in this banal schlock represents, but I suspect he got caught up in the trite melodrama of the story and couldn't resist gushing his lines at virtually every opportunity. His portrayal of the professor didn't remotely resemble a real human being and that is an essential prerequisite for the audience to identify with his character and truly care about what happens to him and his young son. Mr. Robbins performance, on the other hand, wasn't quite so histrionic, but his reaction when Bridges character uncovers his true identity is wholly unconvincing, and merely serves to epitomize a lackluster effort that doesn't begin to showcase his dynamic range as an actor. It seems unfortunate to bring together two gifted actors and then squander the possibility of having them truly connect and develop a compelling relationship, but I suspect it was virtually impossible to overcome such a weak screenplay by Ehren Kruger, and it is clear that the director, Mark Pellington, was incapable of pulling things together to create a textured and believable movie. I could go on ad nauseam to dissect this remarkably obtuse story and address each absurd plot point one by one, but suffice it to say that the only reason I can think of to enter a theater to spend time with this film, is to escape the heat of summer and take a nice nap.

Although it's all been said and done here in the 'hated it' section of this laughable and amateur attempt at film-making, I couldn't help myself to write this short review. This basically because the movie stands at a solid though misguiding 7 and somehow seems to have received a couple of unfathomable, positive reviews. There are enough movies out there that are too preposterous to be anything great. But usually there are at least one or two redeeming feats that save those movies from being complete disasters. As you no doubt have guessed, Arlington Road does not have them. The main problems with this hokey and overwrought mishap are the beyond ridiculous storyline which scoffs the whole idea of suspension of disbelief, the cringeworthy and repetitive script and the dreadful, over the top acting by Bridges. But even other 'minor' flaws in the editing, lighting and shaky camera-work are not in any case less responsible for this movie turning out to be the most campy thriller with a decent cast I've seen in quite some time. Although, 'The Contract' does come to mind... But, as many have pointed out, the ending was by a nose the most insulting part of the whole ordeal. An ending not oh-well-It's-just-a-movie kind of stupid, not what-do-ya-mean-the-earth-isn't flat kinda buffoonic, but abysmally worse, you'd have to see it to believe it. But I really wish you didn't. I'm not going to denote all the flabbergastingly ridiculous plotpoints the writers somehow seemed to think are passable to a non-imbecilic audience. It would take days to do so and would require me to see it again and take notes scene by scene. Let me just say that if you thought that Basic Instinct II was better than Basic Instinct I or that you think that Madonna should be up for an Oscar, then this movie is for you. If you have any doubts considering said examples, then this movie is most definitely one to miss and you are hereby cleared to burn any copies you encounter at your local videostore or at a friends house. 0/10!

Many of the comments I've read refer to coincidences and the like with this film. The point, and I'm surprised no one else seems to have noticed, was that these WEREN'T coincidences. These people set the guy up from the very beginning. They had him watched, and they led him with a carrot on a stick the whole way to get HIM to be the one to take the blame, the "single man" theory. If you need any proof of this, refer to the last lines of the movie, where Mrs. Lang asks "Any word yet?" and Mr. Lang answers "No, but they'll let us know.". Looking for their next victim. The fact that Bridges' wife was killed and that he is a conspiracy theory nut was the whole reason they sought him out. Great movie, phenomenal ending.

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.