• Rating:
• Genre: Drama
• Movie Type: Message Movie, Urban Drama
• Themes: Out For Revenge, Crisis of Conscience, Work Ethics
• Director: Roger Michell
• Main Cast: Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Toni Collette, Sydney Pollack, William Hurt
• Release Year: 2002
• Country: US
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• MPAA Rating: R

Plot

Director Roger Michell follows up the hit romantic comedy Notting Hill (1999) with this thought-provoking thriller. Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson star, respectively, as Gavin Banek and Doyle Gibson, two New York men whose lives become accidentally intertwined in a Good Friday fender bender on the FDR Drive. Late for a crucial appointment, hotshot lawyer Gavin tosses Doyle a blank check and leaves the scene, while Doyle, whose car is inoperable, is late for a court-appointed custody hearing. A recovering alcoholic, Doyle's tardiness doesn't sit well with the judge, who - sick of waiting for Gipson - grants custody to Doyle's ex-wife in Doyle's absence. The situation worsens when it becomes evident that Doyle has an equally important file belonging to Gavin, which proves that an elderly man gave Banek's firm power-of-attorney over his foundation. So begins an escalating war of words and deeds between the two men. Soon, egged on by an associate (Toni Collette), Gavin hires a "fixer" (Dylan Baker) to destroy Doyle's credit, forcing Doyle to fire back with some cunning moves of his own. Changing Lanes co-stars William Hurt, Sydney Pollack, and Toni Collette. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Review

A pleasingly taut, surprisingly trenchant morality play disguised as an urban thriller, this sleeper hit stays smartly focused on the emotional reality of its premise without devolving into the violent, chaotic genre clichés typically found in lesser films dealing with themes of rage and revenge. Rather than delighting in the mechanics of one-upmanship, screenwriters Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin head for different, more disturbing intellectual territory, punctuating their script with arch, cynical monologues that lay bare commonly accepted justifications for inexcusably heinous behavior and exploring in painful detail the high cost of vengeance, depicting it as an inherently selfish fire that must blowback to immolate he who strikes the match. Both Ben Affleck, in what is easily the best performance in a career of spotty quality, and Samuel L. Jackson, typically simmering with fierce intelligence and coiled menace, zealously dig into their respective roles, each becoming a mirror held up to the other and reflecting back an ugly image neither wants to see. These are tough, complex, and very real humans with feet of clay and lacking utterly in glamour or heroism. As in many great works of drama, the characters here are ultimately not confronted with each other but with themselves, and the actors rise gloriously to the occasion. One of the year's boldest, timeliest films, Changing Lanes aspires to encourage introspection, and there aren't many loftier goals for mass entertainment than that. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Ben Affleck - Gavin Banek
• Samuel L. Jackson - Doyle Gipson
• Toni Collette - Michelle
• Sydney Pollack - Andrew Delano
• William Hurt - Doyle's sponsor

Amanda Peet - Cynthia Banek; Kim Staunton - Valerie Gipson; Richard Jenkins - Walter Arnell; John Benjamin Hickey - Carlyle; Jennifer Dundas Lowe - Mina Dunne; Dylan Baker - Finch; Matt Malloy - Ron Cabot; Bruce Altman - Joe Kaufman; Angel Caban - security guard ar school; Angela Goethals - Sarah Windsor; Joe Grifasi - Judge Cosell; Neal Jones - newsroom writer; Olga Merediz - Mrs Miller; Leonard Thomas - newsroom reporter; Raymond Anthony Thomas - Cop at Precint; Susan Varon - Buckburg, Sheryl; James Lovelett - security guard at school; Julia Gibson - receptionist as AD & S; Pamela Hart - newscaster; Michael Pitt - music teacher/conductor; Bradley Cooper - Gordon Pinella; Tina Sloan - Mrs Delano; Juanma Lara - orchestra children; Myra Lucretia-Taylor - Judge Abarbanel; Ileen Getz - Ellen; Jayne Houdyshell - Miss Tetley; Susan Blackwell - newsroom producer; Noel Wilson - bartender at Arlo's; Ray Boknour - Willard; Jordan Gelber - priest; Gilbert Williams - Mike; Lisa Leguillou - Gina Gugliotta; Akil Walker - Stephen Gipson; Cole Hwakins - Danny Gipson; Tyler Sussman - Tyler Cohen; Michael Patrick McGrath - Seavers; Suzanne Hevner - Delanos secretary; Caleb Archer - kid on bike; Shabazz Richardson - cops at precinct; Genevieve Elam - waitress; Anastasia Rojas - orchestra children; Nicole Wright - orchestra children; Clive Oliver Greenberg - orchestra children; Sophia Guaspari - orchestra member; Ruben J. Seraballs - orchestra member; Father Bonneau - himslef; Jewel Brimage - teacher; Katariina Kiamma - teacher; Vanessa Quel - Kate; Howard I. Laniado - Barry; Tony Machine - office worker; Carolyn Feldschuh - office worker; Maria Alaina Mason - office worker; Harvey Waldman - author in newsroom; Alyson Renaldo - newsroom executive producer; James Soviero - newsrom associate producer; Mary Kelly - newsroom script supervisor; Anthony DiGiacomo - newsroom associate director; Richard Velasco - newsroom director; Selena Blake - insurance broker; Harriet Rosenthal - family court; John Kohl - family court; Lisa Vogel - family court; Bob Heffernan - Simon Dunne; Richard Kelly - AA group leader

Credit

Al Cerullo - Pilot; Marcia de Bonis - Casting; Robert Fernandez - Re-Recording Mixer; Ken Bates - Additional Cinematography; Harry Peck Bolles - Editor; Ron Bozman - Executive Producer; Ron Bozman - Production Manager; J.C. Brotherhood - Special Effects Coordinator; James C. Feng - Art Director; Steven W. Graham - Art Director; Jery Hewitt - Stunts Coordinator; Sonny Kompanek - Conductor; Peter Kunz - Special Effects; Ann Roth - Costume Designer; Scott Rudin - Producer; Debra Schutt - Set Designer; Christopher Tellefsen - Editor; Michael Tolkin - Screenwriter; Kristi Zea - Production Designer; Danny Michael - Sound Mixer; Ellen Lewis - Casting; Michael Alden - Post Production Supervisor; David M. Dunlap - Cinematographer; Roger Michell - Director; David Arnold - Composer (Music Score); Doug Coleman - Stunts Coordinator; Andrew Glen - Music Editor; Harvey Waldman - Production Manager; Chris Norr - Camera Operator; Adam Schroeder - Executive Producer; David Boulton - ADR Mixer; Bruce MacCallum - Camera Operator; Brian Vancho - Foley Artist; Noah Vivekananad Timan - Sound Effects Editor; Paul Soucek - Sound Effects Editor; Sarah Frank - Art Director; Salvatore Totino - Cinematographer; William Sweeney - Supervising Editor; Scott Aversano - Co-producer; Chap Taylor - Screen Story; Chap Taylor - Screenwriter; Warren Shaw - Sound/Sound Designer; Warren Shaw - Supervising Sound Editor; Michael Steel - First Assistant Director; Dashiell Rae - Music Editor; Nicolas Dodd - Conductor; Matthew C. Beville - ADR Mixer; Reid Burns - Visual Effects Supervisor; Lori Machens - Post Production Supervisor; Anthony Hemingway - First Assistant Director; Anne Nevin - Production Coordinator; Peter Gleaves - ADR Mixer; Bob Baron - ADR Mixer; Harry Higgins - Re-Recording Mixer; Jane McCulley - Editor; Dina Eaton - Music Editor; Timothy Donohue - First Assistant Director; Brick Mason - Storyboard Artist; Werner Sherer - Hair Styles; Stuart Stanley - Sound Special Effects; Jacob Ribicoff - Sound Effects Editor; Jac Rubenstein - Dialogue Editor; Jeffrey Stern - Sound Special Effects; Milton Buras - Hair Styles; Tony Martinez - Sound Effects Editor; Tony Trotta - Scenic Artist; William Shackleton Arnot - Steadicam Operator; Catherine Gore - Script Supervisor; Gina R. Alfano - Supervising Editor; Linda Grimes - Makeup; Maria Bierniak - Location Manager; Ryan Collinson - Sound Mixer; Lee Ditcher - Re-Recording Mixer; Margie Durand - Makeup; Barrett Hong - Costumes Supervisor; Shari I. Johanson - Music Editor; Anthony Kawakami - First Assistant Director; Mary Kelly - Script Supervisor; Terry Laubermilch - Re-Recording Mixer; Donna Maloney - Costumes Supervisor; Robert Olari - Re-Recording Mixer; Tara Nicole Weyr - First Assistant Director; Brune Winant - Casting

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