The plan in Arlington Road
In the ending of the movie, the plan seemed to centre on the main character following the terrorist's van, then losing sight of it in the street and accidentally following the wrong van.
Have I missed something? How could the terrorists possibly have predicted this would happen?
Best Answer
As you surmise, the answer is that the ending could only work in a screenwriter's mind. Otherwise we have to imagine that the entire elaborate terrorist plot depended on a college professor being able to evade armed FBI guards and make a stunt-driver's dive through closing garage doors into the basement of the FBI building. Even though the film was made before 9/11, these assumptions are totally absurd. This insult to the viewer's intelligence ruined what was otherwise a pretty good film
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What was the plot of movie Arlington Road?
"Arlington Road" is an excellent scary thriller with a well written screenplay. The outstanding cast is supported by excellent lines and a great story of obsession. The conclusion is not predictable and the film has not aged after these years. On the contrary, the theme is absolutely updated.Is Arlington Road a good film?
Arlington Road (1999) Another film with a movie plot that takes place in a different state, Arlington Road was majorly filmed in Houston. Spanning across the suburb of Pearland and on location at the University of Houston, this movie depicts the epic showdown between neighbors Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges.Arlington Road Film completo 1999
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Answer 2
The terrorist's van carried not only the bomb, but the son of Michael Faraday. When he saw the bomb and the boy together, together with the remembered conversation from Oliver Lang about how Faraday's dead wife's friends would pay, he was lead to believe the bombing target was the FBI building. He followed the van because he saw the bomb placed aboard, knew the target, and that the bombing would be imminent.
His chase was interrupted by Oliver's crashing into him (because the van lead Faraday right into the alley where the "accident" could occur), and a fight ensued in the warehouse, where (off-screen) the bomb was transferred from the van to Michael Faraday's car. When Faraday escaped the warehouse and continued on to the FBI building, he encountered a different van from the same company on its daily delivery run to the FBI building. He would not have known about the daily delivery, but since the company was used by Lang and his co-conspirators, Oliver certainly did (remember during the fight he screams "Do you really think we'd leave anything to chance!?!"). Counting on the mistaken identity, and Michael's crazed chase to save his son, everything carries into the FBI building. Faraday still believed, passionately, his son and the bomb were now in the FBI garage, in the van.
He was wrong on both counts, the son was with the terrorist's wife and the bomb was in his own car. We see this milliseconds before the blast. Delivery and execution of the bombing complete, the terrorists go away scot-free with a patsy to boot.
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Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Kelly, Andrea Piacquadio, sergio souza