steady pace, he adds plenty of energy not leaving any room for a dull moment. In addition Chap Taylor's writing is superb. Not only are the characters well written and the story grabs the viewer's attention right up till the end, but his dialogues are very effective as they mix of humour and wit with irony and drama.Samuel L. Jackson delivers one of his finest performances. He is very relatable as the recovering alcoholic father who is trying his best to stay clean and be a good father and to some day win back his estranged wife but unfortunately he keeps finding himself in complex situations. The actor is restrained when required and explosive when needed. Ben Affleck gives his first good performance which shows his potential after being in the industry for a long time and he has since given some great performances in 'Hollywoodland' and 'Extract'. The supporting cast is formed by an ensemble of talents that include Toni Collette, Kim Staunton, Dyland Baker, Amanda Peet, Richard Jenkins and Sydney Pollack.'Changing Lanes' has all the ingredients of a clever gripping thriller. However, it could be argued that the ending was a bit safe. Even though things are rounded up well, I wonder how it would have been if Michell continued with the escalating cycle of revenge until it ended with disastrous consequences.

keep your friends close and enemy closer." worth watching many times.

scene near the end of the movie where Gavin Banek is at a restaurant with his wife and in-laws is absolutely superb.Its been a long time, but this one gets full marks from me.

sense of balance in their lives, both do things which they regret... all in all, this is one of the most "human" movies I've ever watched.Even though the characters are deep, the movie does not try to emphasis it with drawn out scenes with dramatic music or anything, which actually makes it more like watching real people than watching a movie. It also makes for a more powerful effect overall because it is up to the watcher to notice the subtleties.The acting and directing are very well done, and there is some writing which surprised me in that it showed more about the characters rather than relating directly to the main conflict I don't want to give too much detail and spoil it . The pacing is good and kept me interested throughout, partially to see what the main characters would do next and partially to see what, if anything, they would learn from the experience.It is not as "epic" as something like Shawshank Redeption, and doesn't deal with esoteric themes such as Meet Joe Black or ominous themes such as Equilibirum or 1984 the novel , but in a way it is more epic because it deals with normal people who struggle to be beneficial humans despite major mistakes, pressures, and conflicts.

victimized not just by a smug lawyer, but by a history of alcoholism that has resulted in the disintegration of his family and of his life.What I appreciated the most about the series of events in this movie is that manifested rage that this movie cashed in on turned out to be quite believable. The characters lashed out at one another, but often withdrew into a sort of introspective horror for what they had done. They were motivated to do bad things, but they were not bad people.The ending, perhaps, was a bit too pat, perhaps attempting to assuage viewers who had just sat through 90 minutes of ugliness, but it didn't sit that badly with me, and I enjoyed Affleck's drifting speech about the girl on the beach in the end. This movie wasn't perfect, but it had a consistent style, an appropriately low-key but still "edgy" soundtrack, and an interesting exploration of two people who were arguably closer to losers than heroes; yet they were interesting due to their flaws.If you've seen the preview for this movie, try to forget you ever saw it and instead enjoy the considerably less glamorous movie that Changing Lanes turned out to be.

performs well as a fragile lawyer who wants to do good.The film is directed well and the music and cinematography both work wonders with the film. There is an overall sense during the film that the tempo rhythm is constantly changing and the audience are effectively moved around with this.In conclusion I think the film is a success and is what good films should be about. There is a strong moral message which casts an immediate impression in the audience's mind. With a combination of excellent individual acting performances and a well written storyline, Changing Lanes is a must see and I give it 9/10.

bus out onto the New York City skyline, and there we see it: the World Trade Center. Unlike Sam Raimi's upcoming `Spider-Man', delayed after September 11th so that the WTC could be digitally removed, this is a film unafraid to date itself, and unafraid to look at human truth.Affleck plays the role of the oddly named Gavin Banek did they take the name ‘Ben Affleck', throw it in a blender, and add some new letters for good measure? , a high-power lawyer on the verge of becoming one of the partners at his law firm, alongside his father-in-law. Jackson is Doyle Gibson, a reforming alcoholic father of two clawing his way out of his hole and trying to save his marriage. On a critical day in both their lives, Doyle going to court to try winning joint-custody, and Gavin on his way to seal his career-making case, the two get into a minor accident on the FDR turnpike, causing Doyle to miss his hearing and Gavin to accidentally give Doyle a signed document that is critical to his case… and it all unravels from there.The two tumble in a daylong haze of malice and self-destruction, sabotaging each other's lives. Whenever either decides to throw in the towel and do the ‘right' thing, it is too late and the other has already escalated it to the next level. His life quickly falling down around him, Gavin begins to examine it for the first time, taking a deep look into his wife, his law firm, his boss/father-in-law, and himself… ultimately questioning his motivation for trying to retrieve the document in the first place.This is where the film really shines: many movies ask the question ‘what makes a man?' but `Changing Lanes' does it with honestly and authenticity. The screenplay, by Chap Taylor, asks if it is success, or if its providing for one's wife and kids, or if its true goodness, avoiding superficiality and delving into the motivations for each. In one telling monologue, Gavin's father-in-law, played with perfect tone by Sydney Pollack, says, `At the end of the day, I do more good than harm. What other standard have I got?' Unfortunately, the movie does not really ask the question of what makes a woman, even though both wives show real strength. The movie does not even seem to suggest that Gavin and Doyle's struggles could even be applied to women obviously they could, had the movie explored that .Jackson, always an excellent actor, is great as Gibson even if he has performed better before. Surprisingly, in this film Affleck's acting actually seems to surpass Jackson's in this amazing performance that is probably the best we have seen from Affleck so far.All of the characters in the film, including minor-roles and extras, all exhibit a very human feel, and seeing real-feeling people on the screen has always been something rare and not to be taken for granted. The viewer comes to care about everyone in the picture: Gavin, Doyle, their wives, the guy at the bank, even the stranger at the bar.New York City itself is alive in this movie: it breathes, coughs, and gasps with Salvatore Totino's shaky, unsaturated, claustrophobic photography. Totino really looks at people and the city in the face, and does not try to make them prettier or uglier than they are. David Arnold's original electronic score is a refreshing change from the very poor attempts at orchestral music that most movies are now filled with. Arnold's score very effectively sets the mood and reinforces the tempo of the movie.`Changing Lanes' is a success for Roger Michell that shows us that a movie can have major stars, be entertaining, glossy, substantial, and pensive all-at-once.`Changing Lanes' is rated R for a fender-bender, destruction of office equipment, unseen infidelity, a shot of the World Trade Center, and honest depiction of the human condition.

realized they would or needed to . And heavy-handedness is nowhere to be seen. Kudos for that alone.

individual attention on the matter at hand. If either side fails in this regard, it can mean big trouble. it means you suddenly have a situation; and it's just such a situation that is explored by director Roger Michell in `Changing Lanes,' a tension filled drama starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson. Gavin Banek Affleck is a successful lawyer, a partner in the firm and married to Cynthia Amanda Peet , the daughter of his boss, Stephen Delano Sydney Pollack . He's currently handling a probate case worth millions to the firm; he's due in court, where he simply has to present a document that will, for all intents and purposes, wrap up the proceedings. But fate is waiting in the wings. In another part of town, Doyle Gipson Samuel L. Jackson is also about to wrap up a deal-- a loan for a house that will keep his estranged wife, Valerie Kim Staunton , from moving with their two boys, Stephen Akil Walker and Danny Cole Hawkins , to Portland, Oregon, or as Doyle sees it, half way across the world. When Gavin and Doyle get into their respective cars to head to court, they are strangers to one another; they are about to meet, however, when heavy traffic on the expressway and their own preoccupied mental states precipitate a collision-- a minor car accident that ultimately effects a much bigger wreck in both their lives. In his rush to meet his appointed court time, Gavin leaves the scene of the accident and, more importantly, leaves Doyle-- who also has an appointment in court his child custody hearing, no less -- stranded, and out of time. Ironically, the document Gavin must file in court is inadvertently in the confusion of the accident left behind on the expressway, and is now in Doyle's hands. And so the conundrum; loss of the document may mean jail time to Gavin. To Doyle, the loss of twenty minutes may mean losing his children. The question now is, how will these two men solve their dilemma? One has what the other needs, but how do you give `time' back to someone? This film, nicely fashioned by screenwriters Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin, and extremely well crafted and delivered by director Michell, is at it's core a character study that examines the effects of desperation and the emotional responses elicited thereof. It explores how anger and frustration can in the heat of the moment negatively affect even an individual who under normal circumstances is predisposed to abiding by his own conscience; how even the most rational among us has the capacity for irrational behavior if provoked by unmitigated circumstances. At one point in the film, one of the characters observes that it's like two guys have been dropped into a paper bag together and shaken up, just to see what happens; and that about sums it up. And Michell does an excellent job of keeping the story on track, setting a good pace and maintaining the tension that keeps the audience involved. It's straightforward storytelling that is well presented and effective. As Gavin, Affleck gives a solid performance, developing his character quite nicely as the story unfolds. When the film begins, Gavin is in a comfort zone, a place that allows him the tunnel vision necessary to do what he does with a clear conscience. In a way, he's naive; a guy who's been led down the path and made to believe that all is well in the land of the free. By the end of the film, we see a different Gavin-- or at least an `awakened' Gavin; the same man, perhaps, but with an entirely different perspective on life. And Affleck's portrayal makes it convincing, and brings Gavin to life in a very real way. A good job by a fine young actor with the ability to tap into that emotional depth that makes his character believable. Samuel L. Jackson hits his stride, as well, as Doyle, a character whose outward demeanor masks the complexities lying beneath the surface, but which Jackson brings incisively to light. Doyle is your average guy, an insurance salesman, but a man plagued by the demons of addiction; he's a man addicted to chaos, evidenced by the failed relationships in his life and his inability to cope with the situation engendered by his encounter with Gavin. Jackson creates a character with whom you can empathize, even as he makes you aware of the rage within him that could explode at any minute. Doyle understands only too well the dire, probable consequences of being unable to quell his anger, and through his portrayal, Jackson makes the audience aware of it, as well; and it's a pivotal point in the story, which he successfully conveys. And it's that unstable element of Doyle's personality that makes this more than just a story about right or wrong, or who's going to win; it means anything can happen, and it keeps you wondering right up to the end what that something is going to be. The supporting cast includes William Hurt The Sponsor , Toni Collette Michelle , Richard Jenkins Walter , Tina Sloan Mrs. Delano , Ileen Getz Ellen , Sam Rovin Paralegal and Jennifer Dundas Mina . A morality tale that, be advised, does not take too kindly to lawyers, `Changing Lanes' is an engrossing film that delivers much than what is promised, even, by the trailers; a worthwhile cinematic experience. 8/10.