‘You’re addicted to chaos…’
Films being too long is probably my biggest cinematic gripe. I’ve oft stated that if you can’t tell a story in 90 minutes then you shouldn’t be telling a story. But then I see a film like Changing Lanes and I’m not too sure… Here we have a film about a complicated court case that could lead to jail time for the hotshot lawyer in the middle of it all. Actually it’s a film about a different man trying to keep custody of his children. Or is it a film about a man’s strained relationship with his wife? Or his father-in-law? Or his secretary?? It’s actually none of those things…
Changing Lanes is actually a film about a chance meeting between lawyer Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and father Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson) following a car accident. What follows is a tense cat-and-mouse thriller after a feud between the two men flies out of control.
Roger Mitchell’s dark fable is a tale of obsession and fate. It features a rare leading role for Sam Jackson and the interactions between him and Affleck are the film’s finest moments. Alas, we don’t get enough of the two of them together to paper over the cracks of the convoluted plotting. There is simply too much going on here. Also, both Gavin and Doyle are selfish, almost clownish characters. By pitting them against each other, the audience is left with nobody to root for. By the end, as Affleck delivers his moving final speech, the resolution feels neither earned nor particularly plausible. That being said, when it’s good, Changing Lanes is great, it’s just a shame that it doesn’t manage to remain consistent throughout.
A curious and frustrating cinematic experience.