Infoallglobe.com writers forum       Published on 19/05/2000

 A critique on the movie  'Arlington road' by   Sujoy Mukherjee

       There's one school of thought that says a movie is supposed to entertain, that means it should be good popcorn stuff, it is not supposed to be a reality mirror staring at you. While the other argues the reverse way.

        The other school would like Arlington Road. The movie revolves around its central character Michael Faraday - a professor of terrorism studies, haunted by the killings of his close ones  including his wife, an FBI agent killed in combats.

        While Faraday is involved in teaching his pupils about the dangers of terrorism, something is happening closer to his home. He starts receiving mail "Forward to David Lang" from Kansas State University. But his neighbor  David Lang never went to Kansas State University. Then are there two David Lang  in the neighborhood? What he will find out is going to be the shock of his life

       The film with a highly depressing end is unusually stark. We know how horribly wrong the FBI investigations were -Andrew Philip Cunnan and Egypt Air crash only 2 examples. The film raises several questions Why can't we as a society ensure that innocent people do not become victims of massive goof-ups?

               On the flip side, any movie however stark should have humor and Arlington Road fails in that. Tim Robbins is no Gary Sinise. Jeff Bridges brings all the right expressions of paranoia. Arlington Road in the end is 'it can happen to you'. Or you may find paranoia uncool.