Arlington Road (1999)

Director:

Mark Pellington

Writer (WGA):

Ehren Kruger (written by)

Release Date:

9 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear Thy Neighbor

Plot:

A college professor begins to suspect that his neighbour is a terrorist.

Plot Keywords:

Professor | Neighbor | FBI | FBI Agent | Washington D.C.

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Michael Faraday
Tim Robbins	...	Oliver Lang
Joan Cusack	...	Cheryl Lang
Hope Davis	...	Brooke Wolfe
Robert Gossett	...	FBI Agent Whit Carver
Mason Gamble	...	Brady Lang
Spencer Treat Clark	...	Grant Faraday
Stanley Anderson	...	Dr. Archer Scobee
Viviane Vives	...	Nurse
Lee Stringer	...	Orderly
Darryl Cox	...	Troopmaster, Conspirator
Loyd Catlett	...	Delivery Man, Conspirator
Sid Hillman	...	Phone Technician, Conspirator
Auden Thornton	...	Hannah Lang
Mary Ashleigh Green	...	Daphne Lang

Also Known As:

Arlington Rd. (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Iceland:16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36250) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Company:

Arlington Road Productions Corporation

Trivia:

The script for "Arlington Road", written by Ehren Kruger, was discovered when it won the Nicholl Fellowship Screenwriting competition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This film is only the sixth winner of the competition to actually be produced.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Oliver Lang is speaking with Michael Faraday at the batting cages, he is holding the bat with both left and right hand grips alternating in several quick cuts.

Quotes:

Oliver Lang: I'm a messenger Michael, I'm a messenger! There's millions of us, waiting to take up arms, ready to spread the word... millions of us!
Michael Faraday: No! The government's not who you're killing!
Oliver Lang: Yes. Yes. They'll pay. They'll pay for their sins. Their lies.
Michael Faraday: You're killing children! Children die!
Oliver Lang: Children. This is war, Michael. In a war, children die.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Get Down Tonight

What a movie!

I have watched this twice, and despite its many flaws, I thought this movie was dynamite. This movie has the most effective opening sequence ever. The pulsating techno score, the giddy camerawork, if this movie didn't have that opening, I would have given Arlington Road a 7 instead of a 8.5. The movie had excellent, if sometimes overracted performances, particularly from Jeff Bridges, but I'll give special mention to Joan Cusack, her performance was chilling. Tim Robbins, was disappointing. He doesn't cut it as the villain. He was excellent in Jacob's Ladder, but here doesn't make the grade. The script faltered sometimes, towards the end (But not the ending), because it grew a bit confusing. However the dialogue was excellent and always realistic. The direction was outstanding. I could see no flaw in the direction. The cinematography was also excellent, the editing, too. And the music, just fabulous.

I'd like to discuss the ending. After seeing the commercial for this movie and reading the reviews, I knew there was going to be a big, surprise ending. Then how come I predicted the ending to occur?

But in a movie like this it didn't matter. Just sit back, and enjoy this for the acting, direction, music and cinematography. And if you don't predict it, the ending will be a big, satisfying surprise for you. 8.5/10.