Arlington Road (1999)

Hmm, I probably shouldn't have picked two movies in a row in which the FBI doesn't look so good. And it's not like I couldn't tell as much from the Netflix description. Well, at least this time, the agents make honest mistakes, albeit without apology. Also, their role is small enough to omit from the first paragraph of my summary.

In a Virginia town near D.C., Michael (Jeff Bridges) finds fourth-grader Brady Lang (Mason Gamble) badly hurt from a firework mishap. After reaching a hospital in time, he realizes that he hardly knows the Langs despite living across the street and having a son about the same age as Brady, Grant (Spencer Treat Clark). The grateful Lang parents, Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl (Joan Cusack), seem eager to befriend Michael and his girlfriend, Brooke (Hope Davis). But before long, Michael notes something fishy, and further investigation indicates Oliver's dishonesty. Could he be, y'know, the sort of criminal who can easily inspire a son to experiment with explosives?

I would not have been so quick to suspect Oliver, especially when nobody else did, but you have to understand where Michael's coming from. His wife, Leah (Laura Poe), was an FBI agent until a poorly handled bust resulted in her death. Since then, in her honor, he's taught a university course on terrorist history. No wonder he's primed to look for signs, including Oliver hinting at a kindred spirit in resenting the government.

That cause of priming is not a particularly good thing. Neither Brooke nor Michael's FBI buddy Whit (Robert Gossett) feels inclined to entertain his ideas; they think he's on the verge of becoming a typical wacko conspiracy theorist. It doesn't help that Michael's methods for gathering information on Oliver are often illegal.

Of course, basic genre savvy should tell the audience that Michael is at least partly on the right track. Not to say that everything herein follows a typical Hollywood formula. The ending certainly caught me off guard, tho really, just casting Bridges in a fully serious role and Robbins in a villainous role had surprised me.

Looking back, the opening scene is a good clue for how gloomy the story gets. Let's just say Leah isn't the last innocent to die. The most merciful feature is that not every threatened tragedy occurs.

It sounds like most viewers appreciate the unhappiness, tho as usual, its excess reduces my rating. Perhaps a greater concern is in credibility. While nothing I'd call blatantly impossible happens, the twist requires things to align just right, as if under the direction of a creator who sympathizes with the villains. On this point, people have not been as charitable to AR as to, say, The Dark Knight. Or maybe even The Wicker Man.

I had not heard of director Mark Pellington before. He's apparently better known for music videos and musician documentaries. That adds some perspective to the more intense moments of this film, including a score that might evoke horror sooner than suspense.

Not for the first time this month, I chose a depressing flick for a depressing period. In a way, this was a worse choice still, as many U.S. citizens unsatisfied with the government have indeed turned to violence. Nevertheless, AR has its value, reminding us how easily we can miss important details of the truth. There's been no shortage of that problem lately either.