Arlington Road
Starring Tim Robbins, Jeff Bridges and Joan Cusack Directed By Mark Pellington
(Polygram Filmed Entertainment)
An annoying little movie that has immense promise but then doesn't seem to know how to lead up to it's admirably excellent final twist. Jeff Bridges plays Michael Faraday, a widower who starts getting suspicions about the neighbours, Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Robbins and Cusack.) Faradays girlfriend (Hope Davis) gets more and more annoyed with Michael, but his suspicions become more and more stronger as he discovers darker and darker secrets about the friendly guy next door.
The 'neighbour who looks nice but isn't' plotline is nothing new, and the same clichés pop up in this movie, featuring stereotypes like the cop who wants to believe the paranoid neighbour but doesn't (Robert Gossett) and the aforementioned non believing girlfriend. However, Arlington Road delivers with these elements with more style, rather than more brains, than other movies than deal with this plotline. Mark Pellington's direction is assured, with every scene smacking of style, and being very, very dark. There appears to be little illumination in both the Faradays and the Langs households, which upsets the cinematography. There's some well handled jump scenes as well, and the tension reaches astronomically levels in some scenes, such as where Michael is searching through Oliver's study. But occasionally the movie seems to plod, the character building scenes aren't developed enough by screenwriter Ehren Kruger to be of any interest. These scenes really bog down the film, and I was almost nodding off during some parts of the movie. There is, however, one outstanding scene at the start which sets up the characters rather well. Other than that (and the flashback showing the death of Michaels wife) it's best to ignore any attempts the film makes to develop the characters, and just sit back and enjoy the showman thriller sequences.
The cast also play their part in creating an believable environment for an almost unbelievable revelation when it finally appears. Tim Robbins seems to relish playing the bad guy for once, carrying out scenes with an evil glee. Unfortunately, he's been plagued with the worst haircut in his career. Jeff Bridges isn't bad as the paranoid Michael, carrying out the drama and action pretty well. Hope Davis delivers an acceptable performance, but appears to be in the movie for eye candy rather than acting prowess. But it takes Joan Cusack to take the acting honours, as the off centre wife of Oliver. Her kooky, scary performance is a delight, and rather unsettling. She lights up the screen every time she appears. And, she looks exactly like her brother John Cusack, which was certainly very scary.
There's a great soundtrack which certainly helps build up the tension, and the cinematography is well done. But there's no denying the fact that Arlington Road, while sporadically _truly_ enjoyable, is a case of style over substance. Not a total failure, but it didn't live up to what should have been an easy premise to follow. Although it hasn't got enough plot to support itself, Arlington Road is certainly an interesting failure, but it needs strengthening in certain parts.
RATING=**1/2 OUT OF *****
A David Wilcock Review ©1999
DAVID WILCOCK david.wilcock@btinternet.com Visit the Wilcock Movie Page! http://www.wilcock54.freeserve.co.uk
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