ARLINGTON ROAD *** (out of five stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis and Robert Gossett Director-Mark Pellington Rated 14A Released July 1999 Sony
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It depends on your basis of judgment whether or not you will enjoy Arlington Road, a suspenseful but convoluted Hitchockian yarn about neighborly suspicion. Critics and audiences tend to react different to this sort of movie, but if you are able to grasp the basic premise with depth and believability, you should enjoy yourself.
Arlington Road was first set for release in mid-January ‘99, when it was re-scheduled for a May 14 opening. But, after the violent and tragic high school shooting in Colorado, the movie was postponed yet again to avoid conflict that could result from it's terrorist-associated plotline. All the more so because Arlington Road deals with violence that takes place in a friendly environment that could resemble home for more than a few people. It seemed nearly impossible for a film with such a complicated past to break through in the busy season of summer.
The film does have big Hollywood names to combat the typical summer action fare. Jeff Bridges, looking rather frigid and tense, plays Michael Faraday, a university professor who teaches a class in U.S. terrorism. He has a nine-year old child he's raised since the passing of his wife, an F.B.I. agent who was killed in the line of duty. In a tense prologue, Faraday comes upon a boy on the street, injured and bleeding as he hobbles along helplessly. After driving him to the hospital, Faraday meets the boy's parents, the humble and reserved Oliver Lang (Tim Robbins) and his eccentric but caring wife (Joan Cusack). It turns out the Lang's live just across the street from Michael, and the two families strike a bond.
But perhaps there is more to Mr. Lang than the friendly, overly-generous facade that he puts on. Faraday, a man so paranoid he could put Agent Mulder to shame, suspects something more of his neighbor. He starts digging, digs some more, and then can't stop extracting clues from Lang's mysterious past. After discovering a name-change and scanning through the suspect's local paper, he comes upon the conclusion that Oliver Lang is a sophisticated terrorist bomber. His current girlfriend (Hope Davis) thinks he's a loon, but while his son plays with the Lang's 10-year old boy who enjoys lighting firecrackers, Faraday becomes more overwrought with fear that something is not right.
To watch Arlington Road is to appreciate good acting. Bridges is terrific; a bit too extraneous, but terrific. And while Robbins and Cusack are both appropriately creepy, I wanted so much more from their characters, more exploration resulting in greater discovery. The latter, in particular, is left fairly one-note. And Tim Robbins has such great abilities, his character could have been stretched far beyond the limits it's taken. Still, there's a certain chill that runs down your back when he tells Bridges, `I didn't know you taught a course in terrorism. That's a pretty frightening subject.' But good for a living too, I suppose.
Most viewers will be biting their nails to the nubs as Arlington Road nears the climax, but the suspense could have been greater. The script, which starts out too dreary and slow, contains so many convoluted plot details that a sense of unease sets in. Luckily, the action picks up and the suspense goes into overdrive during the final twenty minutes, leaving room for a very surprising and deviously clever finale. Some may find it unnecessary, but I actually found more to like in it than I did with the twisted 2 hours that preceded it. If Arlington Road had maintained a steady intellectual pace to support this climax, than perhaps there would have been more to relish in this entertaining but passable summer popcorn movie.
Footnote: A good invitation for a neighborhood barbecue hosted by Robbins' character would read: `BYOB: Bring Your Own Bomb'. Ha, ha.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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