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 moderate budget of $31.0M, the film achieved a respectable showing 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 strategically placed narrative architecture, characteristic of Mark Pellington's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-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 rescues a bleeding boy on the highway, establishing him as a hypervigilant terrorism professor still traumatized by his FBI agent wife's death in a botched raid.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Michael discovers suspicious inconsistencies in Oliver Lang's background - his college records don't match his claims, triggering Michael's investigative instincts and suspicions.. 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 30 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Michael actively commits to investigating Oliver by breaking into the Lang house while they're away, crossing from suspicion into direct action and the world of espionage., moving from reaction to action.
At 59 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Michael discovers evidence of a major terrorist plot involving a federal building. What seemed like personal paranoia is revealed as genuine danger - the stakes escalate from "Is Oliver a terrorist?" to "Can Michael stop an attack?"., 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, Brooke is killed in an explosion meant to frame and silence Michael. He loses his love, his credibility is destroyed, and he realizes he's been manipulated into the perfect patsy for the Langs' plan., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 95 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Michael realizes the target and the timeline - the FBI building bombing is imminent, and his car has been loaded with explosives. He understands he must stop the attack even though he's already been framed., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Arlington Road's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. 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 Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Venom: The Last Dance. For more Mark Pellington analyses, see The Mothman Prophecies.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Michael Faraday rescues a bleeding boy on the highway, establishing him as a hypervigilant terrorism professor still traumatized by his FBI agent wife's death in a botched raid.
Theme
In class, a student discusses how ordinary Americans can become terrorists when they believe the government has betrayed them - the central question of trust and paranoia that will consume Michael.
Worldbuilding
Michael teaches about domestic terrorism at GW University, raises his son Grant alone, and meets his new neighbors the Langs - Oliver, a friendly architect, and Cheryl with their son Brady. Michael's paranoia and grief permeate his suburban life.
Disruption
Michael discovers suspicious inconsistencies in Oliver Lang's background - his college records don't match his claims, triggering Michael's investigative instincts and suspicions.
Resistance
Michael debates whether to investigate Oliver, confides in his girlfriend Brooke, and begins surveilling his neighbor. He questions if he's paranoid or if Oliver is genuinely dangerous, haunted by his wife's death and his own judgment.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Michael actively commits to investigating Oliver by breaking into the Lang house while they're away, crossing from suspicion into direct action and the world of espionage.
Mirror World
Michael deepens his relationship with Brooke, who represents trust and normalcy - the antithesis of his paranoid investigation. She embodies the question: can Michael learn to trust again, or will suspicion destroy him?
Premise
Michael uncovers more evidence: suspicious packages, mysterious phone calls, Oliver's knowledge of explosives. He plays cat-and-mouse with Oliver, growing closer to the family while secretly investigating, delivering the paranoid thriller the premise promised.
Midpoint
Michael discovers evidence of a major terrorist plot involving a federal building. What seemed like personal paranoia is revealed as genuine danger - the stakes escalate from "Is Oliver a terrorist?" to "Can Michael stop an attack?".
Opposition
Oliver and Cheryl manipulate Michael, isolating him from allies. The FBI dismisses his claims as paranoid delusion. Brooke doubts him. Oliver closes in, using Michael's son Grant against him. Michael's credibility crumbles as the Langs tighten their trap.
Collapse
Brooke is killed in an explosion meant to frame and silence Michael. He loses his love, his credibility is destroyed, and he realizes he's been manipulated into the perfect patsy for the Langs' plan.
Crisis
Michael, devastated and alone, realizes the full scope of the conspiracy - he's not the investigator but the weapon. The Langs have engineered him as the fall guy. He confronts his darkest fear: that his paranoia has made him complicit.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Michael realizes the target and the timeline - the FBI building bombing is imminent, and his car has been loaded with explosives. He understands he must stop the attack even though he's already been framed.
Synthesis
Michael races to stop the bombing, trying to reach the FBI building. In a devastating twist, his attempts to prevent the attack actually trigger it - he unwittingly delivers the bomb himself. Oliver's plan succeeds, and Michael dies in the explosion, framed as the terrorist.
Transformation
The Langs escape to a new suburban home under new identities as news reports blame Michael Faraday for the terrorism. The paranoid man seeking truth became the villain in history - a tragic inversion of the opening's hero saving a child.