As The National Blood Transfusion Service has NEVER said, "Merry Christmas To All Our Bleeders&...
As The National Blood Transfusion Service has NEVER said, "Merry Christmas To All Our Bleeders"
Member since:08.10.2000
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I warn you now - I'm crap at film reviews. Once you strip away a blow by blow account of the plot, because people complain if you include one, there's only really a description of the gist of the plot, a list of who's in it, whether they were any good, and whether you liked it left!
Still, who am I to buck the trend..........
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Changing Lanes - from some of the trailers I'd seen, I was half expecting a car-chase movie. I rely on my wife to tell me if it's good in the first place - it's her who subscribes to Empire magazine after all, not me! So off we trolled to our local multiplex yesterday to see it - well it was either that or get roped into a family gathering!
What you actually get here is an intelligent story of two "ships" that SHOULD have passed in the night, only they collided with each other on the Franklin
D Roosevelt freeway in New York City instead, which as the story unfolds, really ruins both of their days in a grand style.
Ben Affleck plays the part of a junior partner in a Wall Street law firm, (the collective moral stance of this company could be written on the side of a cigarette packet with room to spare), on his way to court to prove that a charitable trust has entrusted its dealings to his company, thereby voting themselves a nice fat source of permanent income. All he needed to do was get there on time, present the relevant papers, and get the hell out of there.
Samuel L. Jackson plays the somewhat less well-heeled role of a separated parent just trying to get his family back together. All he needed to do was get to the custody hearing on time to put his case, and hopefully show his wife the house that he'd just put a down-payment on.
Of course, the crash puts paid to all of this.
All of the action in this film takes place in the span of one day, Good Friday to be exact, and the pace of the film reflects this, with very little extra footage, even in the love-interest department, beyond that which is required.
At this stage I'm struggling with how much else I can say without compromising the exact plot for those that are intending seeing it. At least I've only told you what you could glean from a trailer at the moment.
Suffice it to say, that in the exchange of insurance details that takes place after their traffic accident, certain files go missing, that Ben Affleck had rather hadn't gone missing. The bare bones of the story, revolves around his attempts, mostly illegal, and nearly always immoral to get the papers back from Jackson, who initially doesn't realise what he's walked off with.
In the mean time, poor Samuel L. is just trying to keep his life together against the background of attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and trying securing a mortgage for the house, whilst some bastard he's only met once is doing his level best to ruin Jackson's day/life by remote control. His only trump card is that he has the file.
I agree with a couple of the other writers of opinions here, this vulnerable, bespectacled version of Jackson is a revelation and easily one of his best roles, and all achieved without a pump-action shotgun in sight. He has the power to swing from indignant and powerfully vengeful to meek and philosophical about his fate.
Affleck plays his part well, especially as he starts to realise that he sees that he could well go to jail for fraud.
Other strong roles are played by Sidney Pollack as his senior partner (oh, yes he is also his father-in-law), and accompanied by ...errr. ...well, you know, that man who plays the father's ghost in "Six Feet Under" whose name escapes me for the moment.
William Hurt plays Jackson's AA mentor who manages to "talk him down" from ruining his track record with his first drink in months, and Lord knows, he deserves one.
In summing up, I can safely say that I found this to be quite a satisfying film, slightly in the mould of, but superior to, in my opinion, "Falling Down", another "worm turns" movie, but, as I said before, without the pump action shot guns, AND without the tragic ending.
I liked it a lot.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
its on tv now...film four .. was reading to see if it was any good..
rayliu 20.11.2002 12:19
I've seen this twice and must admit it was better the second time round as the first time was on a plane. Don't you just love Mr Jackson and his ability to fit into any role, either young or old? I felt this film had a lot in common with Falling Down in the sense that it was about how far people would go when pushed to the edge. Regards, Ray
Calypte 16.11.2002 17:37
Looking forward to seeing this - and your film reviews aren't terrible at all! :)
Changing Lanesfinds director Roger Michell (Notting Hill) going American but not ... more
Hollywood, working from a script written by Michael Tolkin (The Player) and newcomer Chip Taylor. The result is something likeFalling Downsquared.It all starts with a car ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Changing Lanesfinds director Roger Michell (Notting Hill) going American but not ... more
Hollywood, working from a script written by Michael Tolkin (The Player) and newcomer Chip Taylor. The result is something likeFalling Downsquared.It all starts with a car ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Modern society draws lines between right and wrong, good and evil, rage and redemption. A ... more
moment of self-absorption and a spark of anger will cause two men to cross them . As the battle of wills escalates, both lives are changed forever. Samuel L. Jack...
Affluent Wall Street lawyer Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and recovering alcoholic Doyle ... more
Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson) are both on their way to vital court hearings when they get involved in a fender bender accident with each other on New York's FDR Drive. In...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: A rock-solid story line, promises to keep you fascinated / interested throughout Disadvantages: Morality versus Immorality, both chucked in but neither wins?
Whizzdom 13.11.2007 (13.11.2007)
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Review of Changing Lanes (DVD)
![Changing Lanes [DVD] [2002]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78523165.jpg "Changing Lanes [DVD] [2002]")
Nov 3rd, 2002
(Nov 8th, 2002)
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