Changing Lanes

Plot synopsis:
In New York City, a middle-aged African-American insurance salesman named Doyle Gipson is a recovering alcoholic who is attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to stay sober. On the same morning that Gipson drives to a hearing to try to regain custody of his children, a successful, white, young Wall Street attorney, Gavin Banek, is distracted while driving and collides his new Mercedes CLK320 with Gipson's older Toyota Corolla. Banek was in a rush to get to court to file a power of appointment document, which will prove a dead man signed his foundation over to Banek's law firm. Gipson was also in a rush to get to a hearing to argue for joint custody of his sons with his estranged wife. Banek tries to brush Gipson off with a blank check, rather than exchanging insurance information, thereby disobeying the law. Gipson refuses to accept the check and voices his desire to "do this right", but Banek, whose car is still drivable, insists upon leaving immediately. He leaves Gipson stranded, telling him, "better luck next time". After arriving to the court late, Gipson learns that the judge ruled against him in his absence, giving sole custody of the boys to Gipson's wife and allowing her to proceed with a plan to move to Oregon, never knowing that Gipson was about to buy a house locally and give it to his wife and children as part of his effort to make joint custody workable for everyone.
When Banek gets to court, he realizes that he dropped the crucial power of appointment file at the scene of the accident, and the judge gives him until the end of the day to retrieve it. Gipson, who scooped up the file, is torn, and initially refuses to return the file. Banek, who is desperate to get his papers back, goes to a "fixer", a shady computer hacker, and gets him to switch off Gipson's credit, which destroy's Gipson's chance for a home loan to keep his family together. Gipson is distraught when he finds out his credit has been ruined and he comes close to drinking again. Determined to get back at Banek, Gipson loosens the bolts on one of Banek's tires, and Banek suffers some minor injuries after his car crashes on the highway. Enraged, Banek goes to the elementary school of Gipson's children and tells school officials that Gipson plans to kidnap the boys, so Gipson is arrested and jailed. His enraged wife declares her intention to move forward with taking their sons to Oregon and says that Gipson will never see them again.
Both men, shaken by the consequences of their actions, start to reconsider their desire for vengeance and try to find a way out. Although it appears unlikely that either man will achieve what he had hoped, both resolve to let go and do what is right, and the two men apologize to each other. Gipson returns the file containing the power of attorney, which Banek has since learned was obtained illegally, and he uses it to blackmail his boss to conduct business honestly and get approval to represent Gipson pro bono to resolve his legal troubles. Banek also visits Gipson's wife to explain everything. The film ends with Gipson's wife and children smiling at him from across the street.

Tags: revenge

Review:
(Late in the film, he agrees to hire an idealistic young intern because, he laughs uncontrollably to himself, he wants to see what the intern's optimism and altruism looks like after 5 years of hard weathering by his no-rules-in-life employer.) Affleck is sick, and while he finally recognizes that sickness, he resigns himself to keep doing the same thing because, as his boss tells himself, he is willing to believe he has done more good than harm at the end of the day.
The Affleck character's motivations for being extra bad, in the episode of his life we glimpse here, are strong enough to keep Changing Lanes from being just another American psycho study; it's easy to believe we could turn Affleck, given a similar circumstance in our life.The ending is a somewhat forced positive one, but not nearly as much a sell out as is usually the case with a made-by-committee major commercial film.
The most obvious is probably that the characters develop before, during, and after the presented story, as the film opens at a critical time for both of them and closes with them having changed major parts in their lives.I expected this to be a glorified version of Madd's Spy vs.
The pacing is good and kept me interested throughout, partially to see what the main characters would do next and partially to see what, if anything, they would learn from the experience.It is not as "epic" as something like Shawshank Redeption, and doesn't deal with esoteric themes such as Meet Joe Black or ominous themes such as Equilibirum or 1984(the novel), but in a way it is more epic because it deals with normal people who struggle to be beneficial humans despite major mistakes, pressures, and conflicts..
Unlike Sam Raimi's upcoming `Spider-Man', delayed after September 11th so that the WTC could be digitally removed, this is a film unafraid to date itself, and unafraid to look at human truth.Affleck plays the role of the oddly named Gavin Banek (did they take the name Ben Affleck', throw it in a blender, and add some new letters for good measure?), a high-power lawyer on the verge of becoming one of the partners at his law firm, alongside his father-in-law.
On a critical day in both their lives, Doyle going to court to try winning joint-custody, and Gavin on his way to seal his career-making case, the two get into a minor accident on the FDR turnpike, causing Doyle to miss his hearing and Gavin to accidentally give Doyle a signed document that is critical to his case and it all unravels from there.The two tumble in a daylong haze of malice and self-destruction, sabotaging each other's lives.
His life quickly falling down around him, Gavin begins to examine it for the first time, taking a deep look into his wife, his law firm, his boss/father-in-law, and himself ultimately questioning his motivation for trying to retrieve the document in the first place.This is where the film really shines: many movies ask the question what makes a man?' but `Changing Lanes' does it with honestly and authenticity.
The movie does not even seem to suggest that Gavin and Doyle's struggles could even be applied to women (obviously they could, had the movie explored that).Jackson, always an excellent actor, is great as Gibson even if he has performed better before.
Surprisingly, in this film Affleck's acting actually seems to surpass Jackson's in this amazing performance that is probably the best we have seen from Affleck so far.All of the characters in the film, including minor-roles and extras, all exhibit a very human feel, and seeing real-feeling people on the screen has always been something rare and not to be taken for granted.
William Hurt, who seems to do a movie every 5 years, unfortunately has a small, thankless role as an alcohol counselor.The script is well-written, and the film is a lot more character-driven than ones of recent years.
A lot of the people in the packed theatre where I saw it apparently expected that other film too; they seemed disappointed when they'd left - they'd probably been expecting yer basic escalating violence, with us cheering for Jackson as the good guy and Affleck as the bad.
One character's next move to destroy the other makes compelling viewing, and we can actually feel some sympathy for them, as we see both their emotional and compassionate side.The story flows well as we are drawn into Banek and Gipson's desire to cause pain and hurt, not giving any thought to others who maybe affected by what they are doing.
Enjoyed the great acting of Ben Affleck,(Gavin Banek) along with an outstanding performance by Samuel L.
So it's not too surprising when a fender-bender on New York's FDR Drive brings into conflict a hot-shot young lawyer trying to keep his law firm out of serious trouble (surprisingly well portrayed by Ben Affleck) and an alcoholic struggling to keep in touch with his estranged wife and two sons (Samuel L Jackson as a more conventional character than usual).
Along the way, Sydney Pollack, who has himself directed a movie exposing the hypocrisy of the legal profession ("The Firm"), is on the mark as the head of the law firm and the father-in-law of Affleck's character, but first-rate actors like William Hurt and Toni Collette are only given bit roles.
Whilst Affleck and Jackson are perfectly cast as the lawyer losing sight of his morals and a desperate recovering alcoholic who seems to be fighting the whole world at once, the film never brings either to life.
Basically, I share the opinion of a local newspaper in my town: for a Hollywood movie to tell a story about two very real people, two all the more everyday-people as their lives and consciences are neither pure nor desperately soiled, AND getting through it quite decntly - well, that's something.I also will agree on a couple of things said by mattymatt4ever (now that's a long screen-name to type): Jackson is just a-ma-zing, maybe I've never seen him that good, because it's so far from his accustomed turf.
it means you suddenly have a situation; and it's just such a situation that is explored by director Roger Michell in `Changing Lanes,' a tension filled drama starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L.
This was a pretty good movie about the chain reaction that occurs between two men (Ben Affleck and Samuel L.
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsAt first glance of Changing Lanes,it looks set to be a Duel-esque road chase movie,with a criminally insane Samuel L.
Jackson chasing Ben Affleck's lead character until the inevitable end showdown.And,to a degree,it is.But,to the surprise of the viewer,this is not the central driving force of the film.The movie spends most of its time doing a really good,and to be honest,downright exceptional job of developing the two main characters.Jackson is not simply a crazy man,hell-bent on killing Affleck over a minor fender-bender,but a real person,totally contrary to the viewers pre-conceptions of the film.We learn why he is mad at Affleck,and what he has that he can use to make Affleck's life hell.Aside from the characters,the movie also ends in an unexpected and very peculiar way.All this,however,comes at the expense of the story,which in turn,loses focus and narrative,making the viewer become too consumed with one thing when they were really expecting more of the other.Worth seeing,but really as a break-from-the-norm as opposed to what you might otherwise have payed to see.***.
The movie is about a half hour too long and is crammed fill with Hollywood Character Traits - Sam Jackson is the recovering alcoholic who's just trying to be a better Dad to his kids, and so and so forth, boo-hoo, cry me a river.
The two main characters Gavin Banek (Affleck) and Doyle Gibson (Jackson) are both, deep inside, good people; but when they're put to fight each other, they seem to have no limits to get what they want and they become authentic criminals.The movie shows two very different men: the successful young lawyer and the almost-broke guy in his 40's.
Jackson and Ben Affleck are both good actors and their performances in "Changing Lanes" are not disappointing at all.
I also liked that you could agree with the point of view of both characters, Sam Jackson and Ben Affleck, in a way they were both right and both wrong.
Up until its bogus everything-must-go ending (insanely belying the movie's honest grapple beforehand with the impossibility of avoiding selling out), CHANGING LANES brings you back to gritty, downbound dramas of ethics circa late-seventies--no-exit pictures like Ulu Grosbard's STRAIGHT TIME and Sidney Lumet's PRINCE OF THE CITY.
It starts as an almost abstract fantasia on the differences between two Americans: a white guy (Ben Affleck) who lives in a glass tower of a law office with fake Alex Katzes on the world; at the end of a hard day he comes home to Amanda Peet and a present--his father-in-law's old forty-foot yacht, thrown him as a bonus.
White and Black collide, literally, on the FDR Drive, and the rest of the movie Aristotelianly tracks their crosses and double-crosses and triple-crosses in the course of a single wearying, life-wrecking day.Unlike the "issue" TV CHANGING LANES sometimes feels like, the work of the screenwriters, Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin (one suspects Tolkin rewrote the younger writer) has a feeling of uncanny end-of-nineties accuracy--unsteady fat cats feeling their cooked books coming home to roost, and have-nots getting steadily angrier at their have-notness.
This is a revealing tale of two souls with anger building with each scene and not only with each other but with themselves as well.The film takes time in showing what the two leads- Ben Affleck as a wall street lawyer on the verge of making partner and Samuel L.
But it goes a little deeper than you'd expect than that, which is just one of the film's sweet surprises.Hollywood needs to make more movies like this where formulas aren't pumped into situations that clearly can go on interesting routes and turns, and give the cast and crew space to expand on ideas which better the movie.
The resultant game of cat-and-mouse, which could so easily have devolved into a cheap, tawdry melodrama of violence and revenge, instead achieves surprising moments of thought provoking depth and insight.`Changing Lanes' is, indeed, that rarity among American films: a drama more concerned with issues and ideas than with cheap thrills and emotional exploitation.
The underlying cynical subtext is, of course, that, in the corporate business world, all morality is relative, a fact Banek, in particular, is ultimately forced to face up to - and, by extension, to act upon.Although it does seem to strain a bit to make its point every now and then - employing overemphasis when subtlety is what is really called for - the film boasts a number of beautiful and haunting moments such as when the director, Roger Michell, intercuts between a quiet, but highly charged and revelatory conversation Gibson has with his longsuffering wife and a scene of Banek seeking surcease from his guilt in a quiet confessional.
Changing Lanes is a good movie with a well developed plot and a great cast.
There are far too many slow moments with heavy dialogue, it needed more car chase's and suspenseful parts, it never truly delivers on its potential.Though it may suffer from predictability, Changing Lanes is still an enjoyable ride that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good drama or thriller, just do not go out of your way to see it.
The scenes in which the leads share screen time are very effective.The story is slow-paced but this works in the film's favour, building up a realistic picture of life in New York and carefully developing the characters along the way.
The story of what happens one day in New York when a young lawyer (Ben Affleck) and a businessman (Sam Jackson) share a small automobile accident on F.D.R. Drive and their mutual road rage escalates into a feud.What I find interesting is that comments on this film tend to be regarding which side to take, with some saying Jackson is "vile" or Affleck is "selfish".
Jackson's point of view are about meeting the standard, not having that next drink, showing his family he is worth having back.The choices for Ben Affleck revolve around ethics, partnership, revenge and the Manhattan moral world that requires things done because they must be done.
Jackson and I thought Ben Affleck was a bit of a loser, he cries again a few times in this movie, but in the end, when he stood up against his father in law, he did a good job and I sympathized a bit with him too.
That somebody is good ol' Affleck who leaves the scene of their accident saying the ominous words "Better Luck next time!"  What makes this movie work is the supreme performances by the entire cast.
I don't think Affleck is a very versatile actor, but he is VERY good in this film although parts of his character are quite similar to the guy he plays in The Sum of All Fears but how much more powerful does he come across here!
It also has the thrill of seeing Samuel L Jackson go ballistic (and who does it better?) and Ben Affleck *finally* plays a character who deserves to be socked in the nose as much as any right-thinking heterosexual male wants to sock Ben Affleck in the nose.The plot of the film is thus:  down-on-his-luck insurance salesman Doyle Gipson (Jackson) and self-centered yuppie lawyer Gavin Banek (Affleck) crash into each other while both are on the way to court.
And for the first time in eight years, Jackson wears a wig that looks like something that might actually grow from a human head (those of us who have seen "The Red Violin" know Jackson's real hair is nowhere near that thick or dark).The film does stretch credibility with the war of attrition and the fact that Gavin waits until he is almost thirty to ask himself if he is a good person (most of us started asking ourselves that at a much earlier age).But still, this is one of the most thoughtful movies I have seen in years, and certainly the best film of 2002 I have seen thus far (I haven't seen "Minority Report", "Insomnia" or "Road to Perdition" yet, but I hope to soon).
Though the film is not without it's extreme bits of behavior & action that aren't entirely credible (Ben Affleck's character literally goes straight from Catholic confessional into his most heinously immoral act in the entire story.
It is refreshing to come across a major American release that tells an involving story about people caught in a sudden moral dilemma and then follows through with a fairly reasonable facsimile to human behavior if not a totally realistic solution to the plot's initial set up.A minor fender bender on NY City's FDR Drive starts a tumultuous chain of events involving a young up and coming attorney on his way to court to wrap up a less than honest estate settlement and a harried father on his way to the same courthouse to battle for custody rights of his children.
If one can get past the overly schematic script then this film works fairly well as a modern day story of deceit, greed and ultimately (although not very convincingly) of redemption.Director Roger Michell, whose last project was the entertaining romantic comedy NOTTING HILL, does a complete turn-around here, giving the viewer a harsh, overcast look to the city (albeit effectively photographed by Salvatore Totino) and keeping the audience fully involved for the nearly hour and forty minute running time.
His Gavin Banek (who thinks up these names?!) is a real person, both attractive and vulnerable, and watching Affleck with all his human foibles encountering each situation is a revelation; this movie puts him on the map as a first class film actor.
Jackson continues with his crazy character roles like the way he did with Pulp Fiction, Die Hard 3, The Caveman's Valentine.When Wall Street lawyer Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) ends up in a mild car accident with former alcoholic Derek Gipson (Samuel L.
So what happens is, Gavin and Derek mess with each other in life threatening situations until they can come to a deal for Gavin to get the file back which is like a big battle considering the movie takes place through the course of one long day.Ben Affleck (Chasing Amy, Stolen Summer), Samuel L.
I rate the choice of scripts as better than what B.A. has been doing lately but as for Samuel Jackson, his track record of pretty darn good movies makes me wonder what he was thinking when he accepted this.Good points: Amanda Peet as the creepy rich wife of B.A. and Sydney Pollack as his creepy boss/father in law..
This is the moral decision Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) is faced with when his car collides with Doyle Gibson's (Samuel L.
The way they mix, almost like a DJ, from Affleck's character to Jacksons shows how the choices each man makes causes each event.
Changing Lanes is one of Affleck's best performances to date, and is a movie that will go unappreciated for the spectacular film is it.
But the light at the end of the tunnel is 'Changing Lanes'.The film is a weaving of montages of two characters: Gavin Banek (played by Ben Affleck) and Doyle Gipson (played by Samuel L.
And 'Changing Lanes' is the way we handle the things we can control, either in a good way or a bad way, and how this control will impact those around us.Jackson plays a father who is trying desperately to regain his family, which is a refreshing difference from the "destructive black man" seen on tv and films today.