Winner of the Nicholl Fellowship Screenwriting competition sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Arlington Road is only the sixth winner of the award to actually make it onto the big screen. Sporting a star-studded cast, the film creates an aura of tension and suspense that keeps its audience glued to the screen. With a thought-twisting and surprising plotline, Arlington Road reinforces the post-September 11th mentality (even though its a 1999 movie) that a terrorist lurks around every corner. Tim Robbins provides the best performance of his career since his appearance in the critically acclaimed Shawshank Redemption, and Jeff Bridges throws in a memorable performance of his own. Both are befitting of the plotline, since Arlington Road is a movie you wont soon forget The film centers around the life of Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges), a college professor who specializes in studying homegrown terrorists in the United States. A resident of Northern Virginia, his FBI agent wife died in the midst of a botched Ruby Ridge-style government raid. Raising his ten-year-old son Grant (Spencer Treat Clark), Michael becomes an expert on the mindset and methods of terrorists such as Timothy McVeigh. Studying the terrorist threat becomes the central focus of his life, and its domination of his every thought results in Michael developing an acute form of paranoia. But when the house next door on Arlington Road (the street where Michael lives) is purchased by Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack), Michaels life begins to change for the better. The friendliness of his new neighbors leads to additional inroads in Michaels ability to deal with the loss of his wife, and Grant becomes best friends with the Langs son Brady (Mason Gamble). Things are going smoothly between the Faradays and the Langs until Michael catches Oliver in a petty lie. Immediately, his paranoia kicks in, and as the Langs continue their strange behavior, such as hiding a set of blueprints from him, Michaels fear gets the best of him. Probing into the personal history of the Langs, Michael finds out that they are not who they claim to be. In fact, Oliver is actually known as William Fenimore. Convinced that the Langs are plotting an attack on the FBI headquarters (one on par with the Oklahoma City bombing), Michael attempts to convince his son, his colleagues, and anyone who will listen. But no one seems to understand. Will Michael convince the FBI before its too late? Or is he only a delusional madman living out his paranoid fantasies in the aftermath of his wifes death? Wrought with suspense and peppered with hair-raising tension, Arlington Road is a unique and compelling film. The premise is befitting of a post-September 11th terrorist film, and I wouldnt be surprised if Hollywood remakes the film using Islamic terrorists instead of the homegrown brand from this movie. With a surprise ending which will keep you guessing until the end, and probably afterward since the whole thing tends to stretch the limits of reality, Arlington Road is a fun and interesting film. Possessing a well-maintained level of suspense and an interesting set of characters, this is one flick more than worthy of any movie viewers attention |
