denis888 Well, such luminaries as Tim Robbins and Jeff Bredges can probably save any movie from being bore or a drag and make it shining perfect gem. Maybe. This one, Arlington Road, a thriller about terrorism, mistaken identity, unexpected discoveries and shocking truths revealed, is not saved by their performances. Whta is wrong, we may ask. First, and this is a huge, way too huge drawback of many films, is its length - almost 2 never-ending hours. The tempo drags miserably at the beginning, then almost totally dies in the midstm then gets some acceleration, then sinks heavily again, then suddenly gets very frantic. There are numerous plot holes which I ain't going to reveal for fear of spoilers, and several moments are very questionable and scepticism-arising. Several plot lines are very pale and bealk, and thinly-worked out. So, the whole thing seemes like a very promising affair which is very much raw and undercooked and then generously over-peppered at the end.

seymourblack-1 This absorbing conspiracy thriller shows how one man's experiences, grief and academic preoccupations make him fearful, paranoid and emotionally unstable. It begins impressively with a really gripping opening sequence and then, after telling his story, leads to a shocking climax that vindicates his behaviour in the most tragic way possible. The expert pacing of the on-screen action contributes enormously to its tense atmosphere and Angelo Badalamenti's unsettling score complements the mood of the piece perfectly.Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges), a history professor at George Washington University, is driving along a suburban street one day when he sees a 10-year-old boy staggering along in the middle of the road. When he catches up with him, it quickly becomes apparent that the boy is badly burned, bleeding and has a serious arm injury. Michael rushes him to the nearest hospital and after treatment the boy recovers well. His father and mother, Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl (Joan Cusack) Lang, who live in the same neighbourhood as Michael are extremely grateful and following this incident they, Michael and his girlfriend Brooke (Hope Davis) become friends.Michael's going through a difficult time bringing up his 9-year-old son, being involved in a relatively new relationship and trying to come to terms with the death of his wife, an FBI Agent who'd been killed during an incompetently-handled raid on a location where a large quantity of guns and ammunition were reported to have been stockpiled. When he starts to doubt the veracity of some information that Oliver tells him about his background and realises that his neighbour (who's a structural engineer), lied to him about the nature of a project he's working on, Michael does some research which reveals that Oliver is using a false identity and in his youth, had been arrested for planting a bomb in a government building.Naturally disturbed by his findings, Michael is frustrated by the reactions of Brooke and Agent Whit Carver (Robert Gossett) who was his wife's former partner in the FBI. They both seem to think he's being paranoid and rationalise his findings in different ways. Michael's passionate about the course he teaches on domestic terrorism and often expresses his scepticism about official explanations for acts of terrorism which are typically claimed to be the work of an individual. The more convinced he becomes that his neighbours are involved in something suspicious, the more determined he becomes to thwart their plans and this puts his life and the lives of everyone close to him, in great danger."Arlington Road" is entertaining, thought-provoking and has some interesting plot twists. Its characters are well-drawn and its cast provides some strong performances. Jeff Bridges is very natural in his portrayal of an ordinary man who starts to unravel alarmingly and Tim Robbins is utterly convincing as he combines a façade of suburban respectability with Oliver's more sinister side. Joan Cusack is also brilliantly creepy and provides one of the movie's outstanding moments when, after overhearing a telephone call made by Brooke, makes the very benign word "shopping" sound incredibly chilling.

Leofwine_draca A bleak, pessimistic little thriller of a film, which failed to be a blockbuster but wowed audiences no less. A top notch cast, a clever story and oodles of suspense help to make this a much underrated gem of a film, much like the previous year's BREAKDOWN, with Kurt Russell.The plot is a pure product of the '90s, following in the same government conspiracy steps as stuff like ENEMY OF THE STATE. Jeff Bridges, as the paranoid, wacko hero, bears more than a passing resemblance to the X-FILES' Fox Mulder, with both guys having their own conspiracy theories (and nobody believing them). The structure of the film is very good, with the first hour moving slowly and being the basic set-up, then the next half hour moving up a notch into a fast-moving race against the clock to find out the truth, until the last twenty minutes which turn into sheer adrenaline pumping horror.The cast are all great in this film, with the acting honours going to Tim Robbins (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) who does a great portrayal of an apparently innocent man who turns out to be a terrorist and a murderer. Jeff Bridges is solid as the nutty, on the edge teacher whose theories grow more and more outlandish as time goes on, and we really feel for him by the time the credits roll. With able support from the two female leads helping to give the film a well-rounded feel in the acting stakes, as well as a realistic turn from the guy playing the FBI man, the acting really can't be faulted for this film.It's the direction, though, which makes everything excellent. The plot twists and turns and little, unnoticeable things turn out to have major consequences. Thankfully, for a change we aren't always one step ahead of the main character, we too (as an audience) are surprised and shocked by the events which occur. There is also a commendably hard edge to the film too, with many 'good' characters dying, it's not often we see a young boy being graphically gunned down in cold blood.There is little in the way of action until a top-notch car chase in the last twenty minutes, which is edge of the seat stuff, but then there doesn't need to be either. Disturbingly brilliant, this is a film which will make you think just who could be behind the door across the street. It left me feeling exhausted, disappointed and yet satisfied at the same time. The highest recommendation.

edwagreen The very ending of this film showing that evil may win out is chilling enough just to prove that this was a very well made film.Jeff Bridges was excellent as the college professor who slowly comes to see that his neighbors are terrorists. He is equally matched by Tim Robbins, with those eerie looking eyes and Joan Cusack, as the wife of Robbins. Her cold veneer shows in itself what is to become.Ironically, Bridges is so intense on his teaching of government and anti-government activities, it becomes feasible unfortunately that he himself was the mastermind to the disastrous terrorist act. No one believed him as circumstances began to pile up on the side of the bad guys.