Plot
A college professor begins to suspect that his neighbour is a terrorist.

Release Year: 1999

Rating: 7.2/10 (43,914 voted)

Critic's Score: 65/100

Director: Mark Pellington

Stars: Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack

Storyline
Widowed when his FBI agent wife is killed in an FBI anti-terrorist operation gone wrong, a college professor becomes increasingly obsessed with the culture and sub-society of these dangerous groups. The arrival of new neighbors, gives him new spirit, as they are gregarious and friendly, with two children that his son can be friends with. He is even beginning to see another woman. However, he begins to suspect something is odd about the neighbors, something about the way they don't want him to see certain parts of the house, or a set of blueprints they have there. Are his neighbors terrorists... or is the stress of losing his wife merely driving him past the point of paranoia?

Cast:
Jeff Bridges - Michael Faraday
Tim Robbins - Oliver Lang
Joan Cusack - Cheryl Lang
Hope Davis - Brooke Wolfe
Robert Gossett - FBI Agent Whit Carver
Mason Gamble - Brady Lang
Spencer Treat Clark - Grant Faraday
Stanley Anderson - Dr. Archer Scobee
Viviane Vives - Nurse
Lee Stringer - Orderly
Darryl Cox - Troopmaster
Loyd Catlett - Delivery Man
Sid Hillman - Phone Technician
Auden Thornton - Hannah Lang
Mary Ashleigh Green - Daphne Lang

Taglines: There goes the neighborhood!

Release Date: 9 July 1999

Filming Locations: Houston, Texas, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $21,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: £527,427 (UK) (21 March 1999) (231 Screens)

Gross: $41,067,311 (Worldwide) (26 September 1999)

Runtime: 117 min

Trivia:
The car crash during the climactic chase scene was unplanned; the plan was for the car to duck behind the oncoming bus and complete the left turn. When the collision occurred, the car trunk sprung open, revealing the bright blue sandbags that had been placed there to allow certain stunts. The quick cuts following the collision are necessary to avoid showing the sandbags. Subsequent shots including the car had already been filmed, and show a markedly less-damaged car.

Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: Towards the end when someone says 'Stand-by' into the walkie-talkie, her mouth doesn't match the words she says.

Quotes:
Oliver Lang: [about to view the explosion] Boom.

Do You Know Those People Across The Street?

Rating: 8/10

Contrary to what you may think initially, nothing happens by coincidence on `Arlington Road.' Outstanding performances by Jeff Bridges (As Michael Faraday) and Tim Robbins (Oliver Lang) highlight this taut thriller about terrorism in America, a disturbing film instilled with a sense of loss, fear and paranoia. Director Mark Pellington perhaps does not mine this vein to the depths, but there is still a silver lining in this movie, which contains elements of two of Alfred Hitchcock's classics, `The Man Who Knew Too Much,' and `North By Northwest.' Had this film been made forty years ago, in fact, Hitchcock would have been at the helm and we would have had James Stewart instead of Bridges and Richard Widmark in place of Robbins. When Jeff Bridges stars in a thriller, you can usually bet that the project is going to be a cut above the average fare of the genre, and this one is no exception, arguably his best of it's kind since `Jagged Edge.' This is a riveting film, and the tension builds steadily throughout as we uncover, along with Faraday, the dark secrets which ultimately lead to an explosive climax. The excellent supporting cast includes Joan Cusack, Hope Davis and Robert Gossett. A trip to `Arlington Road' is a jolt to the senses and may cause you to stop and rethink a few things about your life. At the very least, you're going to want to finally meet that neighbor who moved in across the street last year. I rate this one 8/10.

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