Arlington Road starts and ends very strong, and very unpredictably too, might I add. Apart from the start and end of this film, there really isn't much to write home about. The middle of this film lacks the substance that both ends deliver - Arlington Road failed to keep my attention throughout, but I can't really say I disliked this film because the ending is probably one of the best I've seen in a long time. Just as you think you've got everything figured out - who's good, who's bad, how it's going to end, the plot goes in the extreme opposite direction.

Arlington Road deals with a very important plot in today's society, terrorism, and gives it a new twist. How do we know what a terrorist is thinking as he goes on a suicide bombing? How do we know if there were accomplices? How can we know anything about his motives if he is dead? This movie sure opens a can of worms. Not only does it deal with terrorism, but it deals with the most frightening of all, internal - terrorism by U.S. citizens against the U.S. Not only does it deal with terrorism, but it shows both ends of the spectrum - ranging from the extremists to the paranoid. Arlington Road just seems like it's going to be a good time - plots against the government, bombs, car chases, etc. But after it's over, you just sit there wondering, is it over? Can it end this way? Arlington Road gives you something to think about when it's over. Unlike American Pie, which is just fun, Arlington Road presents us with a dilemma, how can we say what is right and what is wrong? How can we say who the villain is?

Jeff Bridges turns in the performance of a lifetime. Don't get me wrong, he was spectacular in The Big Lebowski, but he is just phenomenal in this movie. Combine the great performance of Bridges with another great performance by Tim Robbins, and the movie takes off. You never know just who is right or sane. You never know what's going to happen next. Bridges and Robbins play a game of cat and mouse and we're left waiting to see who's going to win. Even though the middle of this movie gets a little boring as it tries to put a reasoning behind Bridges paranoia and a rationale behind Robbins' mysteriousness, it is still probably the most underrated film of the season. With box office giants trying to vie for first place, Arlington Road should be happy with it's middle of the pack opening weekend (just my prediction) because it doesn't try and attract the multitudes of movie-going audiences who want to see flops such as Wild Wild West and The General's Daughter, but rather the intellectual audience who might actually enjoy this movie. If you want to find out who's right and who's wrong and who comes out on top, you better just go see this movie, and believe me, you won't be disappointed.

Genres: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Drama
Rated: R
Runtime: 119 minutes
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