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arlington+road | Year: 1999 Classification: Themenwelten - DVD-Hits unter 10 EUR - Action, Thriller & Horror Directed: - Mark Pellington Actors/Actresses: - Jeff Bridges - Tim Robbins - Joan Cusack Deeply disturbing, but well worth watching As another reviewer suggested, this is a movie that should be watched twice in order to catch all the nuances, but you may not want to watch it a second time. This is really strong stuff, especially after Sept. 11th and, before that, after the Oklahoma City bombing. It is, however, well produced and directed. It grabs us from the first with the neighbor boy badly injured by 4th of July fireworks....something symbolic about that. Along with college professor Jeff Bridges, we become better acquainted with the neighbors who reminded me, while there is no marked similarity between the two films, of Rosemary's neighbors in ROSEMARY'S BABY. This is a thriller, and during the final 20 minutes appears to be leading to a predictable though exciting climax. Don't be fooled, though. However, it did leave me with a question. As in many thrillers, the bad guys are right wing zealots. Aren't there any dangerous liberals out there? Love Thy Neighbor ? I only have one complaint about Arlington Road; If Jeff Bridges' character Faraday would've cried one more time, I would've smacked the screen. True, his character went through living hell with the death of his FBI agent wife. Yet, seeing his performance reminded me of one of his earlier movie roles as an alcoholic. Other performances were top notch and creepy to say the least. Tim Robbins is one of those versatile actors who can play either villain or hero without a hitch. Joan Cusack turns in an almost evil-comical performance as a cross between a Stepford wife and June Cleaver; kind of a lunatic mom with a warm apple pie in one hand up front while concealing a blunt sharp object behind her for the kill. Though, her character is far from benign I was surprised to see her use her usual comical appeal for such an evil character with hidden agendas. After seeing the featurette included on the dvd, I now understand the shocking climax of the movie. Without being accused as a reviewer of giving away the ending I can only say that in a way I'm glad the writer or director decided to go with a non-conventional "Hollywood" ending... Makes too many assumptions. 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. Buy Arlington Road at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Arlington Road Search with the Priority Search Engine on Arlington Road This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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