Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful and holds your attention!
Review: Along with ENEMY OF THE STATE, this is one of the best conspiracy-theory paranoia thrillers in its league. When Michael Faraday, played by Jeff Bridges (in one of his best roles since STARMAN), sees the boy across the road wandering aimlessly in the street, he finds his hands are horribly mutilated in a firework accident. The friendly neighbours, the Lang family, are more than grateful for Faraday's help. But are they all they seem? Michael pries into Oliver(Tim Robbins) and his life after seeing a wrongly addressed letter. Michael also teaches anti-government paranoia terrorist studies at his local university and since his wife's death in a bungled FBI raid on a patriot militia group, he is becoming increasingly obsessed with the subject. As he investigates Oliver Lang, evidence he finds makes him more scared that Lang is in reality an unhinged but professional terrorist planning a major attack in Washington. And it seems only Faraday can stop him when things get worse - the authorities refuse to belive his findings! Be warned, the ending is not what you think! You will be surprised, and this movie, while tackling an oft-told theme, will surprise you and hold your attention throughout. It comes highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Who can you trust?
Review: Widower Jeff Bridges befriends new neighbour, Tim Robbins, when he rescues his son following a firework accident. All seems well until a sequence of events leads Bridges to doubt the veracity of his new acquaintance. But, his wife, an FBI agent, died during a bungled operation, he lectures in terrorism and Robbins is beginning to win the affection of his son and girlfriend. So, his hypersensitive state of mind means that he's probably overreacting...or is he? Bridges's increasingly claustrophobic nightmare continues to crush him as every effort to uncover the truth about Robbins backfires and his friends and loved ones begin to see him as the stranger. Superb lead performances, with Bridges producing an emotional tour de force, and an unflagging plot dragged me by the scruff of the neck towards an apocalyptic climax which left me feeling drained, but strangely satisfied. This is not a cosy, feet-up film, not a movie to watch if your penchant is for safe blockbuster thrillers where everything turns to roses in the end. It is a decidedly uncomfortable ride from end to end which poses one shattering question.....who can you really trust?
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Movie You might have missed
Review: The hook is set right out of the chute in the harrowing opening scene, brilliantly enacted by both Bridges & young Mason Gamble. From there on it keeps you guessing. Right up to the end, you're guessing wrong. Repeated viewings are still enjoyable even once you know the twist. I like a movie that (for a change) you can't figure out.
This is a very good movie with a great cast, excellent acting in virtually all roles. Well written, well directed & put together.
I borrowed this movie from a friend, having never heard of it prior. I really didn't want to give it back. Since I have purchased my own copy. I highly recommend it and the several of my friends I've loaned it to have also enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Take a trip down Arlington Road...
Review: Arlington Road is a film that takes some of the elements from the Oklahoma City bombing and the Ruby Ridge incident, and cleverly weaves them into a story of domestic terrorism and paranoia. Delivering a message, the film explores the subject of manipulation. Manipulation of one man, the historical record, and the audience. The final result is an example of master planning, and anticipation of action, that is incredible. In the end, we see that isolated "facts" when combined do not always add up to the "truth". The story centers on Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges), a professor of American history at George Washington University. Two years ago, his wife, an FBI agent, was killed during a botched agency operation at a farmhouse. Disillusioned with the Government, and left alone to raise a son, Faraday struggles to move on in his life with his new girlfriend Brooke (Hope Davis). After coming to the aid of a neighbor's son, Faraday and the boy's grateful parents, Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack), become friends. Soon however, Faraday becomes suspicious that Oliver Lang, a structural engineer, is not what he appears. Faraday begins to check into his background. His girlfriend doesn't understand his suspicions, but he can't keep himself from probing into Lang's mysterious past. Against his better judgment, he permits his son to go on a camping trip with Lang's boy. Events begin to snowball, and Faraday finds his life spiraling out of control. Desperation drives him to acts of near madness, attempting to prevent a disaster, and save the life of his son. The results are atypical, to say the least. Jeff Bridges gives a powerful performance as an obsessed man driven over the edge. Tim Robbins, and Hope Davis are also very good, although Robbins starts to go a bit too far near the end. Joan Cusack, was a bit harder to accept in her role. This movie succeeds in being provocative. For these events to be credible however, we would need to believe that human action can be predicted down to the nth degree, and with near perfect timing. Even if you can't quite swallow this pill, the film should make you think about how, through the media, we perceive events. Beware of the PC police.
Rating:
Summary: A gripping, clever and terrifying thriller.
Review: This movie grabbed me by the nuts within the first 5 minutes and didn't let go. I was instantly intrigued by Arlington Road's professionality and its love for its characters. It really likes to play with your mind and even in the first few minutes or so, Arlington Road's twists and turns give you the chillie willies. The movie explores the characters and their emotions before going into the thrills, and it worked like a charm. I wish all thrillers were like this, but Arlington Road is a rare kind, it's unique, brilliantly made and amazingly scripted. The mood and atmosphere of Arlington Road is creepy and misty and the way above-average techno horror soundtrack matches all the chilling sequences is neat. The performances are outstanding, with Jeff Bridges giving an excellent performance of a man who's paranoia is slowing killing him, while Tim Robbins is wonderfully evil and mysterious as the not-so-nice next door neighbour. Joan Cusack is a great supporting character but she should've had more to do with the evil side of things. The movie has one of the most chilling opening sequences of 1999 and the climax is brilliant and gut-punching and it is one of the best in any movie of any year. The movie scared the nachos out of me and definitely made me think about my next door neighbours. The film's goals are certainly achieved and as far as I know, it is highly praised by critics and viewers. The script is written by Ehren Kruger who also wrote Scream 3. I loved that movie but not half as much as I love this one. Ehren has done a bang-up job on his script and he packs in plenty of depth, chills and tension. Add to that Mark Pellington's fabulous, focused and full-on direction, the extremely satisfying acting and you get perfection in almost all areas of filmmaking. A jolting psychological thriller, and one of the smartest dramas of 1999!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant idea, some clumsy plotting, Villains too "eviiiil"
Review: What can I say, I think this film is more intelligent than 99% of the trash out there, and that the ending was quite brilliant. My problem is that I had some real problems with the plotting and motivation throughout the second act, and the chemistry between Robbins and Bridges wasn't there. This film has some real similarities to The Parallax View, including the ending -- but in that film, there is a very palatable sense of moral ambiguity, and hell -- venturing into the "underground" is a lot more fun in that one too. It's just too bad because this film SHOULD be a classic of some sort. It's hard to write a review for a film like this without giving anything away, but suffice to say-- the "Reveals" and the "coincidences" are just a little unbeleivable.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Forget to Breathe!
Review: I started watching this movie around 11 PM...two hours later, I finally started breathing. The movie was exhilarating. It was probably the most intense movie I've ever seen. The suspense was incredible, the camera work was great (with several Hitchcock-esque shots added in the mix), the plot was nicely twisted. It was a great movie! If you're looking for an adrenaline rush, go check this movie out. It had my heart pumping at twice my optimal heart rate from the first minute of the movie. I can't really give any of the details of the movie away, because it would really ruin a lot of it. Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins were the perfect choice for both characters. I really wish I could say more about the movie, but this is the type of movie that would be ruined by knowing too much. Don't even read the cover of the movie A few words of caution: this movie is not for the faint of heart. However, if you think you are partially faint hearted, just don't watch the first 5 minutes...which (at least for me), was the most disturbing part of the movie. There are several scenes of violence, and there is blood, but the violence isn't what makes this movie so intense..it is the suspense. The camera angles and the film score make the movie almost unbearable when it comes to suspense. I could have shared my seat with several other people because I *only* used the edge of it! There are many, many "jump scenes" (scenes that make you jump out of your seat), despite what Screenit.com says. The language isn't great, but it isn't horrible either. There are a few incidents of foul language, but it is fairly isolated. I give this movie a thumb's up, but I can definitely think of better times/locations to watch it (I had to drive home at 1:15 AM after watching it...). I would prefer to watch this movie in broad daylight in my own house with a large blunt object in my hand.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes too many assumptions.
Review: Given the events of the past decade, "Arlington Road" is certainly timely enough to scare an audience. The movie adeptly plays on our paranoia -- who WOULDN'T be suspicious of the robotically smiling Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack, let alone their daughter who apparently stepped out of "Children of the Corn" to slum it in the suburbs? The set-up is wacky: this creepy family moves in next-door to a professor of terrorism (portrayed by Jeff Bridges). The overplotted movie soon renders that coincidence less stunning. I found myself doubting that the suburban terrorists could so easily jerk our hero around like a puppet. As played (brilliantly, in my opinion) by Bridges, this character is too high-strung and downright mentally disturbed to be manipulated into pursuing his own investigation of his neighbors . . . I mean, this guy looks as if he can barely tie his shoes. Bridges' performance makes you uncomfortable because his grief over his dead wife is real in an ugly, non-leading-man way. It's a brave job. Robbins, on the other hand, with his militia haircut and monotone voice doesn't convey normalcy for one second -- it's a typical "villain" portrayal. Acting like a real human being would've profited the film, adding to the suspense: as in, is he a terrorist or isn't he? Bridges, with his roiling eyeballs and sweaty face, is the prime source of suspense herein. The ending, by the way, is a cheap shot. The purpose seems to be to shock the audience rather than follow the logic of the story.
Rating: 
Summary: THOSE RIGHT WING WACKOS
Review: After Tim McVeigh blew up the Oklahoma Federal Building, the Left went berserk, although their own Ted Kazcysnski (the Unabomber) beat them back. What has emerged in the years since is that if a real bad guy looks like McVeigh, he does the "perp walk" and is displayed for the cameras. If he is black, a black Muslim, or some such thing, he gets the hidden suspect treatment. "Arlington Road" is Robbins as a right-wing wacko who plans to blow up the government. The message is that the right in this country is dominated by white racists who think nothing of killing many, because they are Fascists. It is heavy-handed and compared with Truth fails miserably. STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM
Rating:
Summary: Arlington Road (1999)
Review: Director: Mark Pellington
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis, Robert Gossett.
Running Time: 117 minutes.
Rated R for some bomb violence and language. A gripping look at the horror that terroism can bring is very effective due to idea that it is a threat that can hit close to home. The film opens with college professor Michael Faraday (played extremely well by Jeff Bridges) finding an child on the streets of his neighborhood with half his hand blown off due to a fireworks accident. Faraday rushes the boy to the hospital, not knowing his identity or who his parents are. He later finds out that the boy is the son of the all-American neighborrs Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack; in equal chilling performances that make will make your skin crawl) who have just moved across the street in on Arlington Road. As Faraday gets to know the Lang family more intimately, he begins to suspect that they are not all that they claim and seem to be. Faraday's girlfriend (Hope Davis) believes that he is just paranoid due to the tragic death of his wife, who was gunned down by a right-wing group who was suspected to be terrorists. The professor is uncertain what to be believe--is he really just consumed with the Langs because of a haunted past, or is Oliver really a part of a horrific terrorist conspiracy that be lethal to his community? Director Mark Pellington creates an intense, riveting film that does not skip a beat--it unravels from the very start with the eerie introduction and the truth is revealed exceptionally well with a superb, twisted finale. The cast does an great job, especially Robbins, who is stellar as the suspected mad-bomber. The DVD has some nice features, including some nice commentary from Pellington and Bridges, as well as an alternative ending that is equally as surprising. A fine, brainy thriller that is sure to shock and keep the audience on the edge of their toes.
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