Review of Changing Lanes (2002) by Robert L — 25 Nov 2009

?You were right. I can do this. I found the edge. Can you live there with me??

Road Rage on a whole new level....

Truly thought provoking. That?s what Changing Lanes is. When I say that I mean where with most films will highlight a conversation in the film that will make us think, with Changing Lanes EVERY conversation makes you think. Every single one can be reflected on later and considered. Changing lanes is an intense, enthralling, intellectual Thriller.

On a busy highway road two men are involved in a car accident. One a high flying layer on his way to give the single most important case of his lifetime ,Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck). The other a recovering alcoholic on his way also to court but for a different reason, Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson).

There are thousands of films that will make you think about them long after they finisher, but I think you will have to go a long, long way to find one a film makes you think for longer and more deeply then Changing Lanes does.

The idea that a single event can go wrong and can cause such havoc is brilliant. The two rivals escalating stunts throughout the day are even better. The pacing is fast and it works. The back drop of Good Friday also plays perfectly into the film, as does the idea of God and the ultimate purpose of it all. Challenging stuff for anyone.

At the heart of Changing Lanes is Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Affleck. While Samuel does do a good job as the rehabilitating Doyle Gipson, perfectly being a strong supporting role its all things we have seen this from him before, we know that Jackson can bring everything to the table.

The man that shocked me (and I think a lot of people will be too when they see the film) is Ben Affleck, who comes out of his shell and give the most powerful performance of his lifetime (I don?t think he will ever be able to top it, not even in the future). He is beyond compare. Affleck proves he is a great actor in Changing Lanes. He is amazing in his moments of pure disgust at himself for what he is becoming, it?s astounding. How he plays the role and shows that in a day you can lose everything, including your soul (not literally). When you see Changing Lanes you will be in awe of Affleck too, promise.

No one dies in Changing Lanes, and that?s one of the main points of it, is that this is just two people who don?t want to kill each other, they just want to make the other persons life complete hell, and drag them down as far as they can as quickly as possible. It?s fascinating to see how far they can get, and they do get very low.

This is a film all about morality and it?s surprisingly unpredictable too, there are so many points that are made so quickly that you have to pay attention or you will get completely lost, which in the end just makes the film more engaging.

My summary is what I said at the beginning ?Changing lanes is an intense, enthralling, intellectual Thriller? If you haven?t seen it, See it.