"CHANGING LANES"
Blu-ray Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
BLURAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Ben Affleck as GAVIN BANEK Samuel L. Jackson as DOYLE GIPSON Toni Collette as MICHELLE Sydney Pollack as STEPHEN DELANO William Hurt as DOYLE’S SPONSOR Amanda Peet as CYNTHIA DELANO BANEK Rated R Studio: Paramount Directed by: Roger Michell Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) is an up-and-coming lawyer in a high-powered New York firm, and he’s hoping to make partner soon. On his way to a routine hearing, he has a fender bender with Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson), a recovering alcoholic on his way to a child custody hearing. Doyle tries to do what’s right and collect proper information. Unfortunately, Gavin is late to court and drives away, but accidentally leaves a key document with Doyle.
When Doyle’s custody hearing goes south and Gavin tries to retrieve his document, the two find themselves in a bitter battle, which escalates into violence, property destruction and wire fraud. Throughout the day, both men must learn to put aside their own personal demons and reconcile their differences with each other.
WHAT I LIKED
I don’t think that “Changing Lanes” is ever going to be remembered as a monumental film. It was one of those modern thrillers that literally came and went from the cinemas without too much fanfare. However, it is a solid movie that has stood up nearly a decade on home video. Now that it is getting its Blu-ray release, which repackages the DVD release in a hi-def format, it’s worth a second look.
The strength behind this film is the acting, which is something people expect when you’re talking about Samuel L. Jackson. However, we cannot forget Ben Affleck, who is often maligned for his on-camera performances, but holds his own against the strong-willed Jackson. Additional supporting cast members with fine performances include Toni Collette as Gavin’s in-house affair, Amanda Peet as his wife, Sydney Pollack as Gavin’s boss and father-in-law (a sticky situation as anyone might guess) and William Hurt as Doyle’s sponsor.
While “Changing Lanes” is a work of fiction, much of the damage that Gavin and Doyle inflict on each other is entirely plausible, if not over the top at times. Even the identity destruction that Gavin deals out to Doyle was very possible in the early 2000s, when this film takes place. Dramatic license is taken, but the audience believes (with very good reason) that these are realistic jabs the men are taking at each other.
Ultimately, the structure of the story and the moral dilemmas presented to each man (Gavin with selling himself out to twist the law to his own benefit, and Doyle facing the grim reality of losing his kids in an interstate move) give us all something to contemplate in our daily lives. In this way, “Changing Lanes” turns into a much more thought-provoking movie than you might otherwise expect.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
I’m a sucker for a good character drama, but these characters must have something appealing about themselves. Ultimately, both Gavin and Doyle are bitter and morally questionable people. Sure, Doyle is trying to do the right thing, but plenty of allusions are made to his chronic self-destructive nature. Gavin may have a change of heart and seek forgiveness, but he has already slipped so far on that slope that it’s questionable whether his change will take.
I could root for these characters for the short 98 minutes this movie represents, but at the end of the day, I kinda felt they got what they deserved.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The features from the DVD are included on the Blu-ray disc, with an upgrade of the theatrical trailer to high-definition. Director Roger Michell lends his voice to a commentary track, explaining the background of the film, including the post-9/11 New York backdrop that was filmed before 9/11.
There’s two featurettes, including “A Writer’s Perspective” and “The Making of Changing Lanes.” These break down the characters and the writing process in a succinct way. Also included are two deleted scenes, an extended scene and the hi-def theatrical trailer.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who like morally-ambiguous character dramas.
