Changing Lanes (2002)

2.5 out of 4

Starring: Ben Affleck, Samuel L Jackson, Toni Collette, Sydney Pollack, William Hurt, Amanda Peet

Director: Roger Michell

Time: 100 mins

To tell you the truth, the trailer for Changing Lanes didn't look too interesting. If it weren't for my wife wanting to see it, and the star power of Ben Affleck and Samuel L Jackson, I would probably have waited for this flick to come out on DVD. Advertised as a thriller about two men who collide on a freeway and then are at each other's throats, Changing Lanes is more an examination about how the current rat race that is modern society can reduce otherwise decent human beings to their least civilised selves. It doesn't reach any great heights, but offers moderate entertainment for 100 minutes.

Gavin Banek (Affleck) is a young, upwardly mobile New York City lawyer who is married to his boss' daughter (Amanda Peet) and is about to present important evidence to a probate court. Doyle Gibson (Jackson) is a recovering alcoholic who is looking to buy a property so his estranged wife and two sons don't have to move out west. While hurrying to their appointments one morning, their cars collide, and in the confusing aftermath, Gibson comes into possession of important papers that Gavin needs for court. Gibson himself is devastated when he is late for his own court hearing, and lays the blame on Gavin. There after follows a cat and mouse game between the two, which won't end until both have gotten back what they want.

Though the trailer played up the thriller and action-packed aspects of the movie, there really is very little of both. For starters, both Affleck and Jackson's characters aren't nasty people - they're just forced into doing nasty and potentially dangerous acts by the pressure and situation they're in. Affleck's Gavin Banek could lose his job and go to jail, while Jackson's Doyle Gibson could lose his family and his self-esteem. Though some of their actions become more and more outrageous towards the end, one could easily believe that when driven to a certain state, humans can do just about anything to a fellow human being.

That said, I liked how the characters showed remorse at the consequences of their actions. Affleck, in particular, capably conveys the fact his life is spinning out of control, and in his attempts to rein in the disaster, he realises he's stooping to despicable acts. Jackson, even in his downtrodden state (he's just lost the chance to have his family stay in NYC because a reckless young lawyer hit his car and then drove off), and feeling all the rage in the world, doesn't hold his grudge for too long, until the tit-for-tat game escalates. Both performances are very good.

The supporting cast features some well-known faces, including director Sydney Pollack (Tootsie) as Affleck's boss and father-in-law, William Hurt as Jackson's Alcoholics Anonymous counselor, and Toni Collette, who looks as far away from Muriel's Wedding as she can be. If one didn't already know she comes from Australia, then one may be surprised to find out, given how good her accent in this movie is.

Director Michell helmed the winning romantic comedy Notting Hill several years ago. While Changing Lanes seems to be a change of pace, his focus on believable characters keeps the film from derailing. It's not a work with a lot of repeat viewing value, but it's reasonably entertaining and thought-provoking.

(c) Joe Wong (15 April 2002)