Changing Lanes (2002)

As we know from Michael Douglas's performance in "Falling Down", driving on the roads of American cities can make you crazy. So it's not too surprising when a fender-bender on New York's FDR Drive brings into conflict a hot-shot young lawyer trying to keep his law firm out of serious trouble (surprisingly well portrayed by Ben Affleck) and an alcoholic struggling to keep in touch with his estranged wife and two sons (Samuel L Jackson as a more conventional character than usual). But a mislaid file rapidly leads to a vicious escalation of alternating retribution in scenes reminiscent of "The War Of The Roses".

British director Roger Mitchell ("Notting Hill") uses some edgy camerawork and rapid cutting to pile on the tension but, just when he should be pushing his characters to breaking point, the whole thing collapses into a most unsatisfactory ending of unconvincing decency. Along the way, Sydney Pollack, who has himself directed a movie exposing the hypocrisy of the legal profession ("The Firm"), is on the mark as the head of the law firm and the father-in-law of Affleck's character, but first-rate actors like William Hurt and Toni Collette are only given bit roles. The whole thing could, and should, have been so much better and the main fault has to lie with the last quarter of the script.

Fmovies: Enjoyed the great acting of Ben Affleck,(Gavin Banek) along with an outstanding performance by Samuel L. Jackson,(Doyle Gipson) who are total strangers until they both have an accident on the FDR in New York City. Gavin Banek is a financial lawyer who works for his father-in-law who owns the firm and is being groomed for bigger and better things in this law firm. Doyle Gipson is recovering from substance abuse and is very happy about being able to purchase a new home and also the fact he will be able to go before a judge and show how great his rehabilitation is working out for him, so he can have the custody of his two children. This accident causes problems for both of these men and the entire story deals with how these two men are able to face some very difficult lessons to be learned by both of them. There is no romance just a very confused bunch of guys dealing with their problems in unbelievable ways and causing more problems than is necessary. John Hart, "Body Heat" is a sponsor for Doyle Gipson in his AA Group and does everything he can to make sure Doyle does not take a drink.

This movie was surprisingly good, but fans of car chase sequences and the like will be extremely disappointed. The acting and directing is expertly carried out, with special praise to Ben Affleck as Gavin Banek. Changing Lanes actually explores more depth into the main characters, and how their lives will change, either for better or worse, rather than just dealing with pure and simple 'road rage'.

Samuel L. Jackson was well appointed as Doyle Gipson, and portrays his part well. One character's next move to destroy the other makes compelling viewing, and we can actually feel some sympathy for them, as we see both their emotional and compassionate side.

The story flows well as we are drawn into Banek and Gipson's desire to cause pain and hurt, not giving any thought to others who maybe affected by what they are doing. Changing Lanes is not a violent film as such, it simply explores the aspects of revenge in what could be a true-to-life measure. This is what makes it an entertaining and gripping movie that proved a winner for myself, and should do for many other film fans.

Changing Lanes fmovies. I imagined this was going to be one film from the previews I'd seen, but in reality it turned out to be another - a far more subtle experience than I had expected. A lot of the people in the packed theatre where I saw it apparently expected that other film too; they seemed disappointed when they'd left - they'd probably been expecting yer basic escalating violence, with us cheering for Jackson as the good guy and Affleck as the bad. Not a black and white movie (no pun intended), more of a karma sort of thing, with the two main characters learning from each other in ways they never realized they would (or needed to). And heavy-handedness is nowhere to be seen. Kudos for that alone.

Uneven, but still strangely likable production has lawyer Ben Affleck and alcoholic insurance man Samuel L. Jackson having a minor accident on the freeway. Both are late for important appointments and Affleck makes the dire mistake of leaving Jackson stranded and accidentally leaving a hugely important document at the scene. Soon it is apparent that Jackson's tardiness to a court hearing was devastating as it becomes clear that wife Kim Staunton and their two young children are going to move west to get away from Jackson for good. Affleck's lost document creates a frenzied search to find Jackson and get the papers back, but we all know it is not going to be that easy. A wild and crazed cat and mouse game then starts as the road rage flows over into both men's lives. Now each are in a contest to destroy the other one before their enemy gets the chance. Fast-moving and quick-minded, "Changing Lanes" kept me interested until a somewhat contrived ending that really seemed to not fit in with the rest of the picture. Affleck and Jackson are both pretty good here and the supporting cast is strong enough to keep the momentum of the two leads moving. Not the best film ever made by a long-shot, but still not a bad little ride. Just be sure your ride does not hinder those around you. 4 stars out of 5.

Now, I'm not going to slap this movie on my Top 10 list or say it deserves an Oscar nod, like many critics have exclaimed, but I will say it's something different. First of all, it's real. Not an artificial Hollywood shoot 'em up or disaster flick. This is a film about the human struggle. There's no violence or sex, and if it weren't for about 7 uses of the "f" word "Changing Lanes" could've easily earned a PG-13. So don't let the R-rating fool you.

There are three main reasons why I checked out this movie: Samuel, L, Jackson. Needless to say, he's a terrific actor and worth seeing in whatever he does. He's one of my favorites, and he delivers another powerhouse performance, taking on a role somewhat different from his recent roles: he plays an average Joe. We're introduced to his character, Doyle Gibson, who's a very nice guy simply haunted by mistakes in his past, one being alcoholism, which led to a divorce. And now he's attending AA meetings and buying a house for his two kids, hoping he will attain custody of them. Ben Affleck is good and charismatic. I didn't sympathize as much with his character, but that doesn't make him an antagonist. Neither characters are saints, nor are they sinners. That's good, because it's never completely effective to include characters who are entirely sympathetic. They're both mature adults, but they resort to juvenile acts of revenge in hopes that they can undo what happened. Sydney Pollack is great, as Affleck's egotistical father-in-law, proving his talents in front of the camera are just as fine as his talents behind the camera. I wanted to see more of the beautiful Amanda Peet, but she only has approximately 7 minutes of screen time. So I'm guessing that topless scene I heard mentioned didn't make it to the final cut. Oh, well. William Hurt, who seems to do a movie every 5 years, unfortunately has a small, thankless role as an alcohol counselor.

The script is well-written, and the film is a lot more character-driven than ones of recent years. I loved that scene in the bar where Sam Jackson sits in a lonely bar, listening in on two white guys badmouthing Tiger Woods. He lashes back with a terrific monologue, and later ends up punching them out. Some directors would've cut that scene out, overly concerned about the film's pacing, but I'm glad this time that wasn't the case. However, the ending seems a little fake. It's just too happy for its own good. But that's the only element of the movie I found forced.

My score: 7 (out of 10)