Arlington Road

Director: Mark Pellington
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, and Hope Davis
Run Time: 117 mins.
Rating: R

A Mixed Ride Down Arlington Road

Arlington Road, a new terrorism thriller starring Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins, is like having stir fry vegetables for dinner: What’s in front of you is rather tasty and something different from the run of the mill pasta with marinara sauce dinner that you’re accustomed to. You inevitably leave the dinner table not completely satisfied, however, though it may be your own individual tastes rather than the cook’s performance that leaves you less than content.

In Arlington Road, Bridges plays a college professor who teaches a history class with a focus on terrorism. An unfortunate incident, the results of which unfold on screen in a mesmerizing few moments, thrusts the college professor into a friendship with his new neighbors, played by Robbins and Joan Cusack. As the result of several bizarre occurrences, however, Bridges’ character begins to suspect that his neighbor has something to hide.

It is at this point in the story that the pace of the movie intensifies. While many of the action sequences that develop lack originality, the question of whether or not our hero will discover the real truth about his neighbor is not fully answered until the movie’s climactic ending. Robbins is clearly the highlight of the film, as he usually is, and Cusack also is strong in her supporting role. The film’s subject matter is unsettling, and perhaps the dose of cruel reality the film offers is what makes it not quite enjoyable. Yes, the movie does have its shortcomings – chief among them, Hope Davis’ character (the college professor’s annoying girlfriend), which is not believable and should have been left out of the script entirely, and an ineffective and at times inapt musical score. The film, however, is more cerebral and creative than the usual ho-hum action thriller. Though there’s no need to rush to the theaters, Arlington Road is a street that you will certainly want to take via Cable Avenue.

By: Scott Shuster and Craig Ettinger