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Arlington Road
Sony Pictures Entertainment / Screen Gems Inc.


7.1

based on 26 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for violence and some language

Starring Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis, Robert Gossett, Mason Gamble, Spencer Treat Clark, and Stanley Anderson

A gripping contemporary thriller about the terrible truths that can hide behind everyday appearances, Arlington Road is an intense, edge-of-your-seat journey that reveals just how little we know about the world around us. (Sony Pictures)

GENRE(S):	Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Ehren Kruger
DIRECTED BY:	Mark Pellington
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 11, 2001 Video: May 1, 2001 Theatrical: July 9, 1999
RUNNING TIME:	117 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Arlington Road belongs to that splendid Hollywood tradition of dealing with serious, timely issues in the form of a suspense thriller.

Film.com Peter Brunette

It plays lots of cool mind games with the audience -- if in an occasionally incoherent way -- and ends up providing a surprising amount of fun.

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

While this film's conception of a terrorist threat is apparent early on, its strength lies in a string of ingenious little surprises.

Variety Todd McCarthy

An intelligent, insidiously plotted Hitchcockian thriller directed in souped-up, modern expressionistic style.

LA Weekly John Patterson

Despite its flaws, Arlington Road romps home as an absorbing, unpredictable thriller.

Newsweek Andrea C. Basora

Arlington Road does a nice job of keeping things speculative enough to remain interesting.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Slippery issues about trust, parental responsibility, and the inalienable American right to personal and political freedom are ceded to Hollywood's inalienable right to stage high-pitched chase scenes and a shocking big finish.

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

Deceptively keen as both a paranoid political thriller and a caveat against the trustworthiness of your friends and neighbors.

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

Although it takes something of a slog to get there, this thriller finally comes through where it counts.

Film.com John Hartl

Before it finally twists itself into a pretzel in the third act, this paranoid thriller creates a scary mood and allows its leading actors to go all the way with it.

Film.com Tom Keogh

If you don't ponder too much the script's muddled, self-serving influences, Arlington Road succeeds at discomforting a viewer and making one apt to look over one's shoulder for a day or two.

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

A movie where style and craft are fatally confused with substance, and where almost no effort is made to make the characters seem like believable people.

New York Magazine Peter Rainer

If the bad guys in the real world were all this obvious, life would be a whole lot easier.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Though a thematically ambitious and deftly acted thriller, the film is also shockingly coldblooded and not a little reactionary.

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

What will divide viewers is the plot; either the ending makes no sense or it forces you to rethink everything that went before.

Austin Chronicle Steve Davis

Amidst the rubble of political rhetoric that underlies Arlington Road, one thing is clear: The enemy is us.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

A classy but over-contrived topical thriller about bomb plots and anti-government groups.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

The mode is hysteric-Hitchcockian, the result mostly devoid of suspense.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Although the film starts out with well-mounted menace, Arlington Road becomes increasingly overwrought and predictable.

New Times (L.A.) Hal Hinson

Even before the film has worked up a head of steam, it has started to pile up the improbabilities, giving us reason to question its credibility.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

A clumsy and incompetent thriller for nine-tenths of its length, but it has an ending so clever and that goes so wildly against expectations it almost exonerates the film.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The screenplay stretches the viewer's credulity far beyond the breaking point, asking us to accept dozens of absurd contrivances and coincidences.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

The idiosyncratic instrumentation and melodies in the score by Angelo Badalamenti ("Blue Velvet") and a masterful opening scene are wasted on this pathetic thriller.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

A successful thriller makes you forget such impossibilities, but here they poison every scene.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A conspiracy thriller that begins well and makes good points, but it flies off the rails in the last 30 minutes.

Film Threat Ron Wells

This masterpiece started out at around three stars, but after the credits, it just got sillier and more lurid.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Paul W. gave it a1:
The main problems with this hokey and overwrought mishap are the beyond ridiculous storyline which scoffs the whole idea of suspension of disbelief, the cringeworthy and repetitive script and the annoying, over the top acting by Bridges. But even other 'minor' flaws in the editing, lighting and shaky camera-work are not in any way less responsible for this movie turning out to be the most campy thriller with a decent cast I've seen in quite some time. Although, 'The Contract' did come to mind... But the ending was by a nose the most insulting part of the whole ordeal. An ending not oh-well-It's-just-a-movie kind of stupid, not what-do-ya-mean-the-earth-isn't flat kinda buffoonic, but abysmally worse, you'd have to see it to believe it. But I really wish you didn't. A serious no-brainer which will only get worse as the playtime goes on. And despite the few positive reviews some mentally challanged persons (or production crew) placed on this website, a must miss for sure.

Keith C. gave it a10:
Very well written. You think the hero may actually save the day and they pull the rug right out from under you...Incredible twist.

Gerron K gave it an 8:
A absolutely visually disturbing film with a horrifying performance by Tim Robbins, this film deals with the issue of terrorism wonderfully. Although its a Hollywood method of terrorism, the ending is spectacular and is probably one of the best endings of this year.

Jeremy gave it an 8:
A criminally underated film that is well-made, realistic, and very well acted. Yet critics panned the film, despite the fact that it was unconvential and took risks: What do they want, more Double Jeopardy's?

Gilbert gave it an8:
Great thriller - have to take issue with Ebert, the ending is the best thing about it. Probably best if you disengage your brain, or your Brian, but watch it anyway.

Eloi P. gave it a 9:
Definitely worth seeing. It creeps up on you like few thrillers have done recently.

Arlington Road Sony Pictures Entertainment / Screen Gems Inc.

Arlington Road
Sony Pictures Entertainment / Screen Gems Inc.