Arlington Road
In suburban Reston, Virginia, George Washington University American History professor Michael Faraday is still mourning the death of his wife, FBI agent Leah Faraday, after three years. His inside knowledge of the agency colors what he teaches in his classes. Although on good terms with Leah's ex-partner, Whit Carver, and the agency in general, Michael wants the agency at least to acknowledge their responsibility in her death in the line of duty. Michael is moving on with his personal life, he being in a serious relationship with his former teaching assistant Brooke Wolfe. Although he likes Brooke, Michael and Leah's nine year old son, Grant Faraday, may not yet be quite ready for Brooke to be a permanent part of their lives. It is only in helping adolescent Brady Lang who he sees in medical distress that Michael meets his new neighbors, Oliver and Cheryl Lang, Brady's parents. In the process, Michael and Brooke becomes friends with the Langs, as Grant and Brady become friends. However, the more time that he spends with them and catches discrepancies in their stories, Michael becomes suspicious that the Langs may not be everything they appear on the surface. As such, Michael, against Brooke's concerns of invasion of the Lang's privacy, begins his own investigation of Oliver in particular. What Michael discovers has serious national security implications, as well as possible life threatening dangers to him, Brooke and Grant.
Working with a respectable budget of $31.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $41.1M in global revenue (+33% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Arlington Road (1999) exhibits meticulously timed narrative architecture, characteristic of Mark Pellington's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 14-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 57 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Michael Faraday
Oliver Lang
Cheryl Lang
Brooke Wolfe
Grant Faraday
Main Cast & Characters
Michael Faraday
Played by Jeff Bridges
College professor and widower haunted by his wife's death in an FBI operation, becomes obsessed with investigating his new neighbors.
Oliver Lang
Played by Tim Robbins
Seemingly perfect suburban neighbor and architect who befriends Michael while hiding a dark terrorist agenda.
Cheryl Lang
Played by Joan Cusack
Oliver's wife and homemaker who appears friendly and supportive while concealing her complicity in terrorism.
Brooke Wolfe
Played by Hope Davis
Michael's student and girlfriend who becomes concerned about his increasingly paranoid behavior.
Grant Faraday
Played by Spencer Treat Clark
Michael's young son who befriends the Lang family and becomes unwittingly involved in his father's investigation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Michael Faraday, a college professor and widower, discovers a badly injured boy on the street, establishing his role as a traumatized but caring man still haunted by his wife's death in a bombing.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Michael notices Oliver Lang gives contradictory information about his background—claiming to be a structural engineer from Kansas City, but Michael finds evidence suggesting he's lying about his past.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Michael makes the active choice to investigate Oliver, breaking into the Lang home while they're away, crossing the line from concerned neighbor to active investigator despite the risks to his reputation and sanity., moving from reaction to action.
At 59 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Michael discovers evidence linking Oliver to a storage facility with possible bomb-making materials, but his FBI contact dismisses his evidence as circumstantial. False defeat: Michael seems to have proof, but no one believes him, raising stakes and isolating him further., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 89 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Michael's FBI contact is killed in a car explosion, and Michael realizes he's been completely outmaneuvered. The one person who might have helped him is dead, and he appears complicit or dangerously paranoid to everyone else., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 94 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Michael realizes the full scope of Oliver's plan and that he and his son are being framed as the terrorists. He understands he must act immediately despite having no support, synthesizing his expertise in terrorism with the evidence he's gathered., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Arlington Road's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 14 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Arlington Road against these established plot points, we can identify how Mark Pellington utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Arlington Road within the action genre.
Mark Pellington's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Mark Pellington films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.9, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Arlington Road takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Mark Pellington filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Mark Pellington analyses, see The Mothman Prophecies.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Michael Faraday, a college professor and widower, discovers a badly injured boy on the street, establishing his role as a traumatized but caring man still haunted by his wife's death in a bombing.
Theme
Michael's colleague Brooke warns him about paranoia and seeing patterns where none exist, stating the film's central question: when does vigilance become dangerous obsession?
Worldbuilding
Michael's world as a terrorism expert teaching about domestic extremism while raising his son alone. He befriends new neighbors Oliver and Cheryl Lang, whose son Brady he saved. We see Michael's grief, his expertise in radical groups, and his growing friendship with the seemingly perfect Lang family.
Disruption
Michael notices Oliver Lang gives contradictory information about his background—claiming to be a structural engineer from Kansas City, but Michael finds evidence suggesting he's lying about his past.
Resistance
Michael debates whether to investigate Oliver, resisting his suspicions while gathering small pieces of evidence. He confides in Brooke, who encourages him romantically but warns against paranoia. Michael struggles between trusting his instincts and fear of becoming obsessed like after his wife's death.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Michael makes the active choice to investigate Oliver, breaking into the Lang home while they're away, crossing the line from concerned neighbor to active investigator despite the risks to his reputation and sanity.
Premise
Michael investigates Oliver through various means: surveillance, background checks, breaking into his home, and enlisting an FBI contact. He finds more inconsistencies and possible evidence of terrorist connections, but everything remains ambiguous. The audience experiences the thriller premise of an ordinary man uncovering a conspiracy.
Midpoint
Michael discovers evidence linking Oliver to a storage facility with possible bomb-making materials, but his FBI contact dismisses his evidence as circumstantial. False defeat: Michael seems to have proof, but no one believes him, raising stakes and isolating him further.
Opposition
Michael's investigation intensifies but everything backfires. Oliver seems aware of the surveillance and manipulates situations to make Michael look paranoid or unstable. The Langs befriend Michael's son, making confrontation more complicated. Brooke grows concerned about Michael's obsession. Evidence disappears or is explained away.
Collapse
Michael's FBI contact is killed in a car explosion, and Michael realizes he's been completely outmaneuvered. The one person who might have helped him is dead, and he appears complicit or dangerously paranoid to everyone else.
Crisis
Michael processes the devastating loss and his complete isolation. Everyone thinks he's paranoid. His son is in danger. He has no proof and no allies. He confronts the dark possibility that he might actually be wrong and losing his mind.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Michael realizes the full scope of Oliver's plan and that he and his son are being framed as the terrorists. He understands he must act immediately despite having no support, synthesizing his expertise in terrorism with the evidence he's gathered.
Synthesis
Michael desperately tries to stop Oliver's plot and save his son, racing to the target building. The plan unfolds with Michael trapped in his car with a bomb, framed as the terrorist while Oliver escapes. Michael dies in the explosion, unable to prevent the attack or clear his name.
Transformation
The Langs drive away to their next identity while news reports blame Michael Faraday for the terrorist attack. The transformation is tragic: Michael was right, but the truth dies with him, and the evil he tried to expose succeeds perfectly.