"Arlington Road" begins in fact, in the aftermath of the bombing of a large federal building in the midwest and uses that disaster to explore a possible scenario that might be played out in any city, in any neighborhood.

The movie introduces us to two seemingly ordinary looking neighbors: Jeff Bridges and Tim Robbins. Bridges is a university professor teaching a course on terrorism. He has a hidden agenda, though, it seems he's bitter at the loss of his FBI agent wife in a botched mission. Bridges plays the role well, slipping slowly, step by step into fullblown panic. But his character doesn't quite make sense. He's a university professor living in a house only the chancellor could afford. It's not long before he starts to suspect his neighbor is not all he claims to be, in fact, he suspects the neighbor just might be a terrorist.

So, with Mr. Magoo-like precision, he takes the investigation into his own hands. Which leads us to scenes where the do-it-yourself Cluesoe sits in the backyard to ponder the key piece of evidence he has uncovered against his neighbor. But he dozes off--I mean this is only world terrorism he's uncovering, he can't be expected to stay alert--which of course means that the neighbor is destined to pop by to catch him in the act of spying.

Then there's the scene where Bridges goes to read up on Robbins' past in the microfilm library at GWU. Whaddaya know, who should again happen by, but Robbins himself! Now there's not a university campus in existence where you can just park out the front and pop into the library, let along timing it at the exact moment when your neighbor is uncovering your past. And why wasn't Bridges reading the document via the web anyway. Because the plot needed him to be a luddite. The neighbor and his wife, Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack, are well cast as the all-American couple who are so apple pie that you have to wonder .

Indeed, the movie is smart when it keeps the audience uncertain if Bridges is uncovering fact or sinking into delusional paranoia. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay smart for long. The plot twists are contrived and often predictable and the build to the climax feels like a bad Bond flick. Mind you, the end is nicely timed and designed to stay with you, and it will.

In short, "Arlington Road" is a somewhat gripping thriller, but in an age of bombings and high school shootings, the film almost feels opportunist, feeding on the frenzy of fear that the next random act of violence will be too close for comfort.