Arlington Road

Fear thy neighbor.

Arriving two years before 9/11, this crackling suspense thriller tracks Jeff Bridges as he tries to convince everyone suburbia hides a bomber planning to hit America where it hurts.

Suspect #1 is Tim Robbins, a good-time guy, who, along with wife Joan Cusack, projects friendliness, while leaving some troubling questions left unanswered.

At least for Bridges, who is angry over his wife’s death — she was an FBI agent lost in the line of duty — and increasingly comes off as the unhinged one.

Willing to go where a lot of films won’t, this one lands a roundhouse to the gut.

The Terrorist

Out of darkness, some light.

A piercing look at a young woman who has volunteered to be a suicide bomber, this film — the best of 1997 according to The Coupeville Examiner — captures what can happen when desperation and anger drive life decisions.

Malli, who wants to avenge her brother’s death, is sure she is following the right path, only to be forced to confront head-on how her death would affect others.

Discovering she is pregnant, she has to balance revenge with hope for the future, as the clock ticks down to her appointed departure time.

A powerhouse of a film.