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Arlington Road
EMAILPRINTSony Pictures Entertainment / Screen Gems Inc.

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 26 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller
Written by: Ehren Kruger
Directed by: Mark Pellington
Release Date:
Theatrical: July 9, 1999
DVD: December 11, 2001
Running Time: 117 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
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)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Variety Todd McCarthy
An intelligent, insidiously plotted Hitchcockian thriller directed in souped-up, modern expressionistic style.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly John Patterson
Despite its flaws, Arlington Road romps home as an absorbing, unpredictable thriller.
Read Full Review >Newsweek Andrea C. Basora
Arlington Road does a nice job of keeping things speculative enough to remain interesting.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris
Deceptively keen as both a paranoid political thriller and a caveat against the trustworthiness of your friends and neighbors.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham
Although it takes something of a slog to get there, this thriller finally comes through where it counts.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine Peter Rainer
If the bad guys in the real world were all this obvious, life would be a whole lot easier.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Rita Kempley
Though a thematically ambitious and deftly acted thriller, the film is also shockingly coldblooded and not a little reactionary.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Steve Davis
Amidst the rubble of political rhetoric that underlies Arlington Road, one thing is clear: The enemy is us.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
A classy but over-contrived topical thriller about bomb plots and anti-government groups.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Dennis Lim
The mode is hysteric-Hitchcockian, the result mostly devoid of suspense.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
Although the film starts out with well-mounted menace, Arlington Road becomes increasingly overwrought and predictable.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
A successful thriller makes you forget such impossibilities, but here they poison every scene.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Ron Wells
This masterpiece started out at around three stars, but after the credits, it just got sillier and more lurid.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
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.
