Arlington Road (Blu-ray) (1999)

"Four stars!  Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
"No one will be exhaling during the last twenty minutes of this movie.  Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
"...a first-rate suspense film.  John Anderson, NewsDay
"Edgy action-filled entertainment.  Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"Superbly acted and skillfully directed.  Paul Alexander, Out Magazine

Editor's Note George Washington University professor Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) teaches a course in terrorism, but after his wife, an FBI agent, is killed under questionable circumstances, he becomes obsessed with the topic. An all-American family moves in across the street, but Faraday soon suspects that they might be terrorists themselves. Bridges's portrayal of the man fighting against a virtually unseen enemy, with no one believing him, is reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.

	Hope Davis
	Jeff Bridges
	Joan Cusack
	Tim Robbins
	Angelo Badalamenti - Original Music By
	Bobby Bukowski - Cinematographer
	Conrad Buff, IV - Editor
	David Stein - Art Director
	Ellen Kruger - Writer
	Marc Samuelson - Producer
	Mark Pellington - Director
	Therese DePrez - Production Designer
	Tom Rosenberg - Executive Producer
	tomandandy - Original Music By

ARLINGTON ROAD follows in the grand tradition of Hollywood suspense thrillers that pit a lone man against a vast, hidden conspiracy--or is it a conspiracy? Jeff Bridges plays Michael Faraday, who starts out as a loving, caring father and teacher but slowly turns into a desperate, crazed man searching for answers in a suburban world that has been turned upside down.

Director Mark Pellington lingers on Bridges's face as it goes from ruggedly handsome and somber to wild and crazed. As Faraday tries to uncover the truth about his new neighbors, Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack), he also struggles with his own inner demons. Is he just imagining things, as he still has not gotten over his wife's death at the hands of what was first believed to be a terrorist, or are his fear and paranoia real? Pellington stays a few steps ahead the entire way, leading to a most thrilling and unexpected conclusion to this nightmare of suburban terror.

Rolling Stone
"...The movie generates real excitement..." 08/05/1999 p.80

Entertainment Weekly
"...Builds to a beautifully plotted -- if totally preposterous -- parlor trick of an ending....Cusack scares the bejesus out of Hope Davis [and viewers]..." -- Rating: B 10/29/1999 p.118

New York Times
"...A stylish throwback to the paranoid thrillers of the 1970's..." 07/09/1999 p.E1

Los Angeles Times
"...ARLINGTON ROAD is diabolically clever....An edgy, action-filled entertainment, sustained by Bridges' enduring ability to project thoughtful men of decency and courage..." 07/09/1999 p.C6

Chicago Sun-Times
"...The underlying insights of the movie will make you think....ARLINGTON ROAD is a thriller that contains ideas..." 07/09/1999 p.31

DVD Verdict 9 of 10
As I sat down to watch Arlington Road I prepared for a long, drawn-out thriller with a large pay-off at the end. This expectation was immediately shattered by the rapid-fire opening sequence of the film...From the start of the film, especially if you have seen the film's trailers, you know what to expect from each character, and that the Lang family is not what they appear to be. Nevertheless, the film holds your attention as Faraday pursues his investigation of his neighbors...All successful thrillers like Arlington Road are character driven. Tim Robbins is superb in the role of the dark Oliver Lang, while the casting of Joan Cusack as his wife was truly masterful. The ability of Joan Cusack to play the all American mother, yet subversively phony and just a bit too nice, suits her character perfectly. Jeff Bridges does a nice job as Michael Faraday, but the true stars of the film are Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack, everyone else just pales in comparison...a terrific film... - Sean Fitzgibbons

Variety 9 of 10
"Arlington Road" is an intelligent, insidiously plotted Hitchcockian thriller directed in souped-up, modern expressionistic style. A study of the bland face of evil that culminates in an all-too-plausible attempt at domestic terrorism, this absorbing and surprising political melodrama sometimes tries too hard for its own good, overstressing points when simple understatement would have a more chilling effect. But in an era when most suspensers are hopelessly contrived, derivative and one-dimensional, this one has some real weight in addition to its credible main characters and emotional charge...Bridges and Robbins are in fine form, with the former registering a strong sense of impassioned anxiety along with the lingering pain over the fate of Michael's beloved wife, and the latter calmly unpeeling in stages the layers of Oliver's personality, ultimately revealing his frightening nature. - Todd McCarthy