- Actors: Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis, Robert Gossett
- Directors: Mark Pellington
- Writers: Ehren Kruger
- Producers: Ed Ross, Ellen Dux, James McQuaide, Jean Higgins, Judd Malkin
- Format: NTSC
- Number of tapes: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Columbia/Tristar Vid
- VHS Release Date: May 1 2001
- Run Time: 117 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
- ASIN: 076783819X
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#8,685 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
- #36 in Video > Music Video & Concerts > Artists > Judds
- #63 in Video > Music Video & Concerts > Country
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
It's easy to understand why Arlington Road sat on the studio shelf for nearly a year. No, the film isn't awful; rather, it's an extremely edgy and ultimately bleak thriller that offers no clear-cut heroes or villains. In other words, Hollywood had no idea how to sell it. Director Mark Pellington's underrated directorial debut, Going All the Way, suffered the same fate, essentially because the filmmaker's presentation of suburban America often shifts dramatically within the same film. Characters are usually miserable and bordering on meltdown, no situation is straightforward, and things usually end badly. Arlington Road begins as an astute study of suburban paranoia. Michael Faraday (a face-pinched Jeff Bridges, who spends most of the film on the brink of tears) is a college professor who teaches American history courses on terrorism. He's been a conspiracy freak since his wife, an FBI agent, was killed during a botched raid that feels like a thinly fictionalized reference to the Waco tragedy. After saving the life of his next-door neighbor's child, he initially befriends the family (Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack), but soon believes the husband is a terrorist. The first half of the film mocks Faraday: he has no real evidence and is not the most stable of protagonists. Despite the fact that it was government paranoia that got his wife killed, Faraday repeats the same type of behavior. Pellington shifts gears in the second half, however, and for awhile, it seems that the film has simultaneously sunk into a cheap, high-octane brand of Hollywood entertainment and undermined its own point. Arlington Road, though, possesses a stunning ending that's a real gut punch, one that may leave you needing a second viewing to catch all of its smartly executed setup. --Dave McCoy
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A breathtaking thriller,
By Axel (France) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Arlington Road (VHS Tape)
Arlington road is an excellent thriller. Suspens never stops until the very end that is just amazing.After watching Arlington Road you might think differently about this quotation : "Freedom is just a hallucination created by a pathological lack of paranoia." Anyway, without any hesitation I give 5 stars to this excellent movie.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended!,
By
This review is from: Arlington Road (DVD)
The first time that I have seen this movie was about two years ago. And, I was a bit disappointed in the fact that the 'good guys' did not win. However, I have watched it again and again recently, and I have realized that it actually showed the true aspects of our reality. It is an idea that everyone can be manipulated to do what the real terrorists wanted them to do or to "bring the bomb into the building" without their being aware of it.I would highly recommended this movie because it is closer to what is happening in our society, including the 9/11 events and other 'terrorist' attacks.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intense, chilling & thought provoking.,
This review is from: Arlington Road (DVD)
You come to a movie like this, if you are like me, thinking that it is another propaganda attempt by the left, trying to convince you that Christians with bibles are loonies that go around blowing up stuff. Thankfully Mark Pellington (Director) opted for something more realistic than that stereotypical portrayal.There are no madmen, in the conventional sense, in this film, just ordinary people with grudges. People who have been hurt by the government and want to get back at it for what they perceive to be injustices. Pellington also reminds us that we are so quick to find scapegoats to blame because it gives us a sense of relief, a feeling that all is once again right with the world, and that acts of terrorism can only be carried out by 'others' not by people like us. I don't want to give you the wrong impression however, because this is certainly not a didactic movie. As to the movie itself, the plot is cleverly written and you definitely feel the tension and suspense building as the movie progresses. The characters are believable and frightening because of their normality. Joan Cusack was perfectly cast as the wife of the half-sane, half mad terrorist. I still can't get forget that sinister smile of hers. Tim Robbin's character was credible, with the right balance of insanity and reason. He definitely wasn't the 'typical villain.' As for Bridges, he was the one who made this whole movie work, without him the movie would have flopped. I would highly recommend this movie, I don't give too many movies 5 stars but this one definitely deserved it. Arlington Road has a great cast, a great storyline, but best of all, it gets you to thinking about terrorism and what motivates terrorists. This is a very relevant movie, especially after the events of 9/11.
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