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| Directed by Mark Pellington; Starring Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis, Robert Gossett, Spencer Treat Clark, and Mason Gamble |
I know that I take quite a bit of slack because of my love for dark and disturbing films, so I wouldn’t be too suprised if my adoration for Arlington Road is not equaled by many.
After a long period of hiatus, the Sony driven thriller finally comes to the screen and goes beyond any expectation I could have had. When it tries to be thrilling, it works; when it tries to be funny, it works; when it tries to be startling, it really works.
Arlington Road is a film about the paranoia that ensues a mild mannered suburban widower whose neighbors may be a little less perfect than they seem. Michael Faraday (Bridges) saves the life of a young man he has never seen before. The weird thing is that the boy has lived across the street from Faraday for two months. In thanks, the boy’s parents Oliver and Cheryl Lang (Robbins and Cusack) begin a friendly relationship with Michael and his girlfriend Brooke (Davis). This is perfect for Michael’s son Grant (Clark) who quickly makes friends with the maimed Brady Lang (Gamble) giving way to his oft visits to the Lang household. What begins as a nice friendship, leads to a paranoid Faraday fearing that his neighbor may very well be like those in a course he teaches: a terrorist bomber.
Arlington Road is very well made from a tense beginning to a very serene middle act and on into a thrilling last reel. Bridges sets out a good performance, but the film lies on the shoulders of Cusack and Robbins. The two perfectly mix pleasantness with a crazy edge (somewhat reminding me of Serial Mom for some reason). I also thought that it was terrifically directed by Mark Pellington (Going All the Way). What I think works the best in the film is its well crafted script by Scream 3 scribe Ehren Kruger. The only real problems seem to be the pacing and the poor performances from Clark and Davis.
A well crafted thriller, Arlington Road is the best mainstream film I’ve seen since Go.
