Review of Arlington Road (1999) by Alan J — 31 Oct 2008

I have a sneaking suspicion that this movie was developed in reverse..allow me to explain....I believe the director/screenwriter had an ending..and given what the ending to the movie would be, then had the problem of constructing a story on how it could end up that way (ie the car in the garage, the FBI friend, etc).

..from that point, the film makers needed to construct a character who, while we could identify with...always seemed a bit Johny Come Lately...meaning always one step behind, making critical errors in judgmenet, etc.

.which would allow the Tim Robbins character to achieve his goal. Having said that, once you examine the plot developments closely, you would realize that not only would things have to fall into place exactly in order for the end result to occur, but all of the luck would have to be with the Robbins character.

.while adding a strong dose of coincidence as well. To actually believe this grand plan could actually be achieved the way the movie purports is well..unrealistic to put it kindly. Nothing goes according to plan on such a grand scale.

.but then again...this is just a movie. Having said that, the first half works wonderful as a paranoia thiller...however, once all the cards are shown, the movie loses its edge and turns more into a frantic chase to the finish.

.which is predictably shocking and depressing...this is a movie which could have been better if the role of Jeff Bridges was constructed differently. Overall, decent entertainment..leaves you thinking at the end.

.but please don't think too hard or you will realize the story is alot weaker than it appears.