Arlington Road | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

63% Tomatometer 92 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings

Widowed when his FBI agent wife is killed by an extremist group, college professor Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) becomes obsessed with the culture of these groups -- especially when his new all-American neighbors, Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack), start acting suspiciously. With each twist, the mystery deepens and questions loom as to whether Faraday is consumed by fear and driven by paranoia, or whether a lethal conspiracy has been born on Arlington Road.

Arlington Road

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A suspenseful thriller led by strong cast performances built around a somewhat implausible story.

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Critics Reviews

View All (92) Critics Reviews
Arlington Road | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Nell Minow Common Sense Media Scary movie about terrorism. Not for kids. Rated: 3/5 Dec 22, 2010 Full Review Arlington Road | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Bob Graham San Francisco Chronicle Rated: 3/4 Jun 18, 2002 Full Review Arlington Road | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Globe and Mail Rated: 2/4 Mar 19, 2002 Full Review Arlington Road | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Gripping, provocative and haunting with Hitchco*ckian suspense. A bold, bitter, slow-burning thriller made for critical thinkers. One of the best thrillers of the 90s. Rated: 9/10 Feb 21, 2021 Full Review Arlington Road | Rotten Tomatoes (5) C.H. Newell Father Son Holy Gore Arlington Road is a mystery-laden thriller, not without flaws. Overall, it does the job of sucking you in and never letting go, not until the last beat. Rated: 4/5 May 7, 2019 Full Review Arlington Road | Rotten Tomatoes (6) David Nusair Reel Film Reviews An entertaining yet egregiously over-the-top thriller... Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 7, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews

Matt R Pretty good late 90's thriller with a nice twist! Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/20/24 Full Review leslie dean b This is actually a very good movie. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/04/24 Full Review Victor P A mind-blowing suspenseful thriller! Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/06/24 Full Review Steve D A deeply unplesent time despite the cast. Rated 1.5/5 Stars • Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/24 Full Review Jd R A fever dream of imagination that only maintains a suspension of disbelief in a narrative briefly. You might be entertained between the opening scene and the point when the (ironically named) Professor Faraday becomes a full fledged conspiracy theorist about 30 minutes in.Outside of that the entire movie gives you the feeling that it was made for (and by) people who live under a rock and have a paranoid worldview that revolves entirely around themselves and emotional fringe theories based on rhetoric. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/24/23 Full Review Ola G Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) is a history professor at George Washington University specializing in terrorism. His FBI agent wife Leah died in the line of duty in a Ruby Ridge-style standoff, and Michael now lives with his 9-year-old son Grant in Reston, Virginia. He is still friends with Leah's partner Whit Carver, and is dating his former graduate student Brooke (Hope Davis). Upon finding a severely injured boy named Brady stumbling in his neighborhood, Michael rushes him to the hospital, where the wounds are determined to be caused by fireworks. Michael meets Brady's parents, structural engineer Oliver Lang (Tim Robbins) and housewife Cheryl (Joan Cusack), discovering they are his neighbors. They become friends, and their sons join the Discoverers, a Boy Scouts-style group. In casual conversation, Oliver expresses his sympathy for Leah's death by displaying potentially violent anti-government beliefs. This, and the cause of Brady's injuries, arouses suspicion in Michael. He also finds blueprints in Oliver's possession that are not for his purported building project, and receives misdirected mail suggesting Oliver lied about his college years. Brooke and Whit dismiss his concerns as paranoia. Michael takes his class on a field trip to the site where Leah was killed, and excoriates the FBI for igniting the standoff after failing to probe the besieged family. His students appear uneasy. Michael reluctantly lets Grant go to a Discoverers camp with Brady. His research reveals that Oliver was born William Fenimore and tried to blow up a Kansas post office at age 16. Oliver discovers Michael's interest and confronts him, stating that his immature act (in revenge for the government's role in his father's suicide) cost him imprisonment and a new identity to hide his past from his children, which he regrets. Michael appears to let the matter drop. However, Brooke later spots Oliver swapping cars and exchanging metal boxes with strangers. From a payphone, she leaves Michael a message lending validity to his suspicions, but is discovered by Cheryl...Rotten Tomatoes consensus stating; "A suspenseful thriller led by strong cast performances built around a somewhat implausible story." Roger Ebert, wrote of the film: Arlington Road is a thriller that contains ideas. Any movie with ideas is likely to attract audiences who have ideas of their own, but to think for a second about the logic of this plot is fatal. (via Wikipedia)The storyline with how well do you know your neighbour we have seen several times before. "Arlington Road" feels just like a repetition of "Blown Away" also starring Jeff Bridges with him running around screaming with a face in agony. "Arlington Road" is stretched to the limit and the tension and excitement is missing to my mind. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Arlington Road

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

Mark Pellington Director Jeff Bridges Michael Faraday Tim Robbins Oliver Lang Joan Cusack Cheryl Lang Hope Davis Brooke Wolfe Robert Gossett F.B.I. Agent Whit Carver
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Photos

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Arlington Road

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Synopsis Widowed when his FBI agent wife is killed by an extremist group, college professor Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) becomes obsessed with the culture of these groups -- especially when his new all-American neighbors, Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack), start acting suspiciously. With each twist, the mystery deepens and questions loom as to whether Faraday is consumed by fear and driven by paranoia, or whether a lethal conspiracy has been born on Arlington Road.

Director
Mark Pellington

Producer
Tom Gorai, Marc Samuelson, Peter Samuelson

Screenwriter
Ehren Kruger

Distributor
Screen Gems

Production Co
Lakeshore Entertainment, Screen Gems

Rating
R (Violence|Some Language)

Genre
Mystery & Thriller

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 9, 1999, Wide

Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012

Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.4M

Runtime
1h 59m

Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR

Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Arlington Road | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What is the point of the Arlington Road? ›

“Arlington Road” was an attempt from screenwriter Ehren Kruger and director Mark Pellington to give audiences action and suspense, but also contribute to the developing conversation about domestic terrorism and the insurgent, reactionary right wing of US politics.

Where is Arlington Road set? ›

Plot. Michael Faraday is a history professor at George Washington University, specializing in terrorism. His FBI agent wife Leah died in the line of duty in a Ruby Ridge-style standoff, and Michael now lives with his 9-year-old son Grant in Reston, Virginia.

Is Arlington Road a true story? ›

Though the movie refers to an incident in St. Louis where a federal building was bombed, it clearly is based on the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City. And its up to Jeff Bridges to prevent another such incident in Arlington Road.

What is the ending of Arlington Road? ›

In the final scene, after seeing Grant away, Oliver and Cheryl Lang strongly imply that they will move again to another city to plan their next terrorist strike as well as look for another fall guy to take the blame for their group's actions as they did with Michael Faraday and many others before him.

What is special about Arlington? ›

Arlington is home to the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington has many recreational and other community amenities including: 52.3 miles of multi-use off-street trails.

Is Arlington free to enter? ›

The site is open to the public 365 days a year with free admission for those who wish to tour the site and pay their respects.

Is Arlington Road a good movie? ›

One of the best thrillers of the 90s. Content collapsed. Arlington Road is a mystery-laden thriller, not without flaws. Overall, it does the job of sucking you in and never letting go, not until the last beat.

How to watch the movie Arlington Road? ›

Watch Arlington Road | Prime Video.

What movie inspired Ruby Ridge? ›

Based on the same real life events that were fictionalized in The Siege at Ruby Ridge (1996) and also depicted in other documentaries such as Ruby Ridge: American Standoff (2014), Ruby Ridge (2017), The Legend of Ruby Ridge (2001)

Is The Only Road Based on a true story? ›

Inspired by true events, The Only Road is an individual story of a boy who feels that leaving his home and risking everything is his only chance for a better life.

Is the movie Road based on a true story? ›

The Road is said to be based on a real-life incident from the early 2000s. The cast of the film features Shabeer Kallarakkal, Santhosh Prathap, Miya George, MS Bhaskar, Vivek Prasanna, Vela Ramamoorthy, Laxmi Priya, Semmalar Annam, Raatchasan Vinoth, and Karupu Nambiyaar among others.

Is Road to Glory Based on a true story? ›

Glory Road was inspired by a true story, as described by Texas Western's head coach Don Haskins in his autobiography of the same title, a national bestseller released in 2005 by Hyperion Books.

Who is the bad guy in Arlington Road? ›

Oliver Lang is the main antagonist of the 1999 thriller film Arlington Road. He was portrayed by Tim Robbins, who also portrayed Gary Winston in Antitrust.

Where did they film Arlington Road? ›

The main two houses were at 1501 Red Bud Court and 2505 Evergreen Drive in Pearland, Texas. The shopping plaza was at 13169 Northwest Freeway in Houston. The planetarium is located at 5555 Hermann Park Drive in Houston.

What is the plot of the movie Arlington Road? ›

What is the significance of the Arlington House? ›

Welcome to Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial. Originally constructed between 1802 and 1818, the house was built to be both the residence of George Washington Parke Custis and as the nation's first memorial to his adoptive grandfather, George Washington.

What is the purpose of Mission Arlington? ›

Whether it's medical care, food, clothes or anything in between, the Mission is there to help as many people as it can. Mission Arlington's purpose may be to help those in need, but their volunteers have grown as people in their time at the Mission as well.

What is the significance of Arlington Virginia? ›

Arlington's historical significance was further solidified during the American Revolutionary War. The region played a vital role in the struggle for independence, as it was strategically located across the Potomac River from Philadelphia, the nation's capital at the time.

Is Arlington Road worth watching? ›

One of the best thrillers of the 90s. Fresh score. Arlington Road is a mystery-laden thriller, not without flaws. Overall, it does the job of sucking you in and never letting go, not until the last beat.

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