In suburban Reston, Virginia, George Washington University American History professor Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges) is still mourning the death of his wife, FBI agent Leah Faraday, who died in the field 3 years earlier, however, Faraday’s inside knowledge of the agency clouds the material he teaches in his classes, which is primarily on terrorism and FBI tactics.
Michael has lived an understandably sheltered existence, but is slowly moving on with his personal life, as he is now in a serious relationship with his former teaching assistant Brooke and taking care of his son Grant. However, when he sees Brady Lang in some discomfort with what likes like a burn injury and calls the medics and this sees him meet his new neighbours, Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack) who are Brady’s parents.
The friendship blossoms and the Faraday’s and the Lang’s become firm friends as do the kids, as Grant and Brady develop their friendship.
Things are going well with the neighbours, until Michael becomes suspicious about Oliver and starts to believe that he has a double life and may possibly be a part of an internal terrorist movement. Acting on this hunch, he tries to investigate Lang’s past but this is fruitless and seems to lead nowhere, could it be he is just being paranoid?
I loved this movie from the off, as it is never really clear if Lang has a past or if Faraday is just paranoid due to the events that he has had to go through in his life, and Bridges is key to making this believable. The tension is good right up till the lines are drawn in the sand and we get to see what the real agenda for everyone is.
From this point it becomes a more traditional cat and mouse thriller – but even then it is better than due to the brilliant set up, it plays out really well. This crescendos into a great ending which will certainly get to you – it did me, and still does to be honest.
Bridges is great as the crumbling Faraday, Robbins is equally as good – his average Joe act is good but he offers enough to make you think there might be a ruthless terrorist in there somewhere and gives off some moments of genuine menace.
Overall this is a superior thriller that trades off USA fear of internal terrorism and the ending is worth seeing waiting for.