User Reviews

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Without much in the way of aspirations, this drama has characters fairly close to real life; it's almost an allegory for the level of stress anyone is exposed to on a bad day. For a weekend, to kill 96 painless minutes.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Two shallow poorly written characters repeatedly fail to make logical choices in this well produced textured drama/thriller. Sadly the brittle world in which they orbit never takes on a form strong enough to provide the emotional impact their scenes aim to reach. Put this down as an intriguing missed opportunity.

A frustrating and uneven movie that tries to take on some serious subject matter and doesn't hit the mark.

My best friend and I saw this movie in theaters when it came out and to this day, I feel it's the worst movie I've watched. Ever. It's been nearly 20 years since I watched it. If you're checking out reviews before deciding wether or not to watch it, don't bother watching it.

ça part d'une bonne idée, celle de montrer et démontrer qu'un incident (en l'occurrence un accrochage sur la route) peut être monté en épingle, mener à la surenchère, puis carrément **** dans de plus ou moins grandes largeurs... c'est l'histoire éternelle de la vendetta pour un oui ou pour un non. A cet effet, le film prend soin de suivre avec attention les points de vue de chacun, démontant les mécanismes du malentendu initial qui repose toujours un égocentrisme acharné. Evidemment, si Jackson s'en sort bien (et c'est très souvent le cas, ce n'est certainement pas un débutant), Affleck l'affligeant n'est clairement pas au niveau... mais ça, on le savait déjà. Cependant, le film s'étale en longueurs inutiles et plus le temps passe, plus il se révèle naïf, bassement moralisateur et donneur de leçons à deux balles. La résolution de la vendetta -après tout de même plusieurs coups de pute assez invraisemblables- tombe inopinément et directement dans le bec comme par une intervention divine sans aucun cheminement logique. C'est fort dommage et cela détruit les bonnes intentions de départ. Il reste un film tout-à-fait regardable mais trop bâclé et maladroit pour tenir la route -et la distance.

Sem um significado coerente péssimo,Samuel L. Jackson como sempre espetacular,Ben Affleck também com sua ótima performance mas o filme não se sustenta chato!!!

This one was nothing more than ok. Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson are both good in their roles and really help to elevate this film. The story is ok, but my main complaint has to do with the fact that the character development was extremely uneven and muddled. For example, both characters have moments where they are good guys and try to be honest, but then the next scene they are absolutely despicable human beings at the drop off a hat in order to get revenge. If this is some comment on society, then this one takes itself a little too seriously. If this is simply what they came up with, then the writers need to be a bit more creative. The constant horrendous acts by both sides made it hard to root for either side, in spite of my trying to identify with them, only for them to totally ruin that over-and-over. On top of that, their acts of revenge were a little far fetched and over the top. I guess the point is that nothing is off-limits for these guys, but I just had a hard time believing that any of this could happen as the film tried to claim. Overall, Changing Lanes is pretty much a run-of-the-mill thriller with solid acting and definite intensity than teases you constantly. Throughout, I wanted to love it and really invest myself in it, but I never could, because right as the film would start to open itself up to me, it would turn its back and get cold once more.

Changing Lanes is a decent movie dealing with ethics and human nature. It does, however, have the odd nonsensical plot-hole to infuriate you with. That annoyance aside, Changing Lanes is solid stuff.

If you think you've had a hard day, try this... Jackson plays Doyle Gipson, an insurance salesman who is trying to earn his family back. Between attending AA meetings, he is seeking regular access to his two children. Affleck plays Gavin Banek, whose law firm demands he do morally questionable deeds so they can keep earning from their clients. We see their flaws but if there is a difference early on, it is that Gipson wants to do right by everyone while Banek is blinkered into looking after himself. Beginning sharply with a car accident, Banek makes a choice which robs Gipson of something that can't be replaced. Gipson in turn has something Banek desperately needs. As one man's manipulative tactics are used in increasingly desperate measures, the other's wanting to do the right thing quickly evaporates as he is pushed to the brink and beyond. All the action is played out over the course of a day and what a day it is. I've seldom seen so much packed into one 24-hour period that feels as real as this. Things of course move along rapidly. Just when you think a scene may become bogged down in too much talk, one guy makes his move, sparking off the next in the series of clashes. By the end however, both come to ground with a view of themselves they didn't have when they set out that morning. Damage has been done but maybe some can be repaired as two men learn from each other how to be better and move forward. The ending is a very satisfying one. The writing is excellent and moves between moral drama and gritty thriller. It's not all about two men locking horns as their story is interwoven with background to their lives. Whether Banek in discussion with his wife or Gipson having a dilemma in a bar, these scenes add depth but never take away from the intensity. The success of this film is also largely about the two lead performances. Affleck raises his game while Jackson is as charged as ever. He doesn't radiate hugeness as in other roles, but is just as effective in this often broken character. Both ensure their duel is a fascinating one from start to finish.