Changing Lanes Review
by Mark R. Leeper (markrleeper AT yahoo DOT com)April 15th, 2002
CHANGING LANES
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: Two men have a small-scale war following an auto accident. In spite of some intriguing action the film does nothing unusually well until the final third. Then suddenly the dialog and even the plot improve
markedly. Most of the story of note and most of the intelligence is toward the end of the film. There is decent acting from Samuel L. Jackson and particularly from the little-known Kim Staunton. Rating: 6 (0 to 10), high +1 (-4 to +4)
We are seeing a number of films like COLLATERAL DAMAGE and BIG TROUBLE that were originally scheduled for an earlier release, but after September 11 had to be postponed. The distributor felt that they would remind the public a little too much of current events. Actually, the film that really has bearing on today's world is CHANGING LANES. This is a film about an escalating conflict that engulfs and destroys both sides of the quarrel. Each side has power over the other, moral and non-moral. Each side has its weapons and its gambits. The first act sets up the conflict, the second shows the escalation. And if the third act merely tied up the plot ends and brought the film to a conclusion, this would be a standard mainstream film. In fact the entire film is probably the third act. If the viewer misses the first two acts he does not miss much. (In fact, if the viewer has seen the trailer that may be a sufficient surrogate for the first hour of the film.) CHANGING LANES does not really begin until the two main characters try to resolve the situation. Certainly it is in the resolution that we learn the most that is non-cliche about the principles and their situation.
One of those two main characters is Gavin Banek, a junior partner in an upper echelon Wall Street law firm (played by Ben Affleck). The other is Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson), a recovering alcoholic struggling to put enough of his life back together so that his wife and two sons do not slip from his grasp. Even before they clash each is doing everything he can to destroy himself in some significant way. Banek is selling his ethics to his law firm in return for advancement. Currently he is wresting a charitable fund from the control of the family of the recently- deceased man who set up the charity. Gipson, a failure filled with anger, has been using alcohol to quench the fire of his bitterness and fury. The quenching did not work when he was drinking and it certainly is not working now that he has quit. When Banek fights he fights smart and dirty. When Gipson fights he detonates with rage. Banek is subtle, Gipson is explosive. Their war begins with a traffic accident. Banek is rushing to present some important papers at a hearing. Gipson is on the way to his own hearing to maintain access to his two sons. By leaving the scene of the accident Banek destroys Gipson's chances. But he has unknowingly left some all-important papers at the scene of the accident with Gipson. He has stolen what might have been the most important twenty minutes of Gipson's life, but at the same time accidentally left the key to his life in Gipson's hands. Now the games begin.
Jackson and Affleck are good actors and their conflict brings out both good and bad in the characters they are playing. Jackson can be polished when the role calls for it, here he looks dragged out and defeated just as the character demands. Ironically, however, I was more impressed by the acting from the supporting women in their lives. Kim Staunton as Valerie Gipson is an actor I do not remember seeing before. Her face is eloquent of a hard life and the determination to transcend it. She may not play many romantic leads, but I am looking forward to seeing her again. Another unusual face is that of Toni Collette as Banek's secretary and sometime mistress.
CHANGING LANES has its rewards, but they come late in the film. In the meantime the film will please that segment of the audiences who like to see people fight beyond all sanity. This is quite a change of pace for director Roger Michell whose last film was NOTTING HILL. I rate it a 6 on the 0 to 10 scale and a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
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Copyright 2002 Mark R. Leeper
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
