Director Roger Michell follows up the hit romantic comedy Notting Hill (1999) with this thought-provoking thriller. Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson star, respectively, as Gavin Banek and Doyle Gibson, two New York men whose lives become accidentally intertwined in a Good Friday fender bender on the FDR Drive. Late for a crucial appointment, hotshot lawyer Gavin tosses Doyle a blank check and leaves the scene, while Doyle, whose car is inoperable, is late for a court-appointed custody hearing.
A recovering alcoholic, Doyle's tardiness doesn't sit well with the judge, who - sick of waiting for Gipson - grants custody to Doyle's ex-wife in Doyle's absence. The situation worsens when it becomes evident that Doyle has an equally important file belonging to Gavin, which proves that an elderly man gave Banek's firm power-of-attorney over his foundation. So begins an escalating war of words and deeds between the two men. Soon, egged on by an associate (Toni Collette), Gavin hires a "fixer" (Dylan Baker) to destroy Doyle's credit, forcing Doyle to fire back with some cunning moves of his own. Changing Lanes co-stars William Hurt, Sydney Pollack, and Toni Collette. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
It pulls the rug out from under you, just when you're ready to hate one character, or really sympathize with another character, something happens to send you off in different direction.
"Changing Lanes" asks how far we'd go not to lose what's ours, but it's a morality play with hope for détente rather than any destructive force. Gavin and Doyle are two severely flawed men whose best intentions are knocked about by their worst impulses.
Evitando o maniqueísmo, o roteiro cria dois personagens complexos e ambíguos ao mesmo tempo que recheia a narrativa com diálogos bem construídos e instigantes.
Themes about corporate ethics, greed, corruption and our vulnerability in the face of determined evil have a Falling Down finality that is weakened by unconvincing character arcs.
A slickly shot, intelligent thriller, it's buoyed up by an exceptional performance from Jackson, who brings crumpled dignity and pathos to his habitual loser.
Despite its strong start with a plausible situation gone disastrously wrong, Changing Lanes lectures audiences and devolves into the corniest of melodramas--there's nothing subtle about it.
Another great suggestion from Mr. Tim Ryan. If you thought that Sam Jackson made his money by cursing really loudly on camera, check out this movie him actually acting, really really well. A suspenseful dogfight that subtle asks questions about the nature of humanity, I found myself actually stressed out -- and
therefore interested -- about how it would all end. Although well-made, there are some pacing problems in the movie that prevents it from being a truly great drama, but definitely one worth putting on your Want-To-See list.
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