Review of Changing Lanes (2002) by Alvin Y — 16 Aug 2010

â??Changing Lanesâ?? was surprisingly a good and very thought provoking thriller film. It is about these 2 strangers who accidentally met on a highway by an accident. After that minor incident, their lives become very risky, one who is Gavin Banek (played by Ben Affleck) a lawyer whose file was missing while in court and was given a day to find it and show it to the judge, on the other hand, Doyle Gipson (played by Samuel Jackson) a salesman who was suppose to be early in also a court meeting for his sons custody but eventually he was late so he didn't have the chance to see or ever find his sons ever. As the film progresses, these 2 become very manipulative, Banek is very desperate for that one folder or else he and his partners in law firm will go to jail, Gipson is very angry at Banek from him losing everything, sons, even credit score. At the end, they get to realize having a new outlook on life, concentrating on ethics and the moral implications of their actions.

What I also love in this film is of course, very obviously, good acting; Affleck is very amazing in his role, this is probably his best performance in his whole acting career, and for Jackson, his acting never fails or goes down. Also in this film, I found out some major themes used in this movie, an example is the two students who Banek interviews apparently for roles of articled clerkship with the firm who are fresh out of law school. The young man especially says he would like to be a lawyer because he believes people are by nature good, and that conflict arises from historical forces, the law being there as a "buffer", him believing strongly in fairness and justice. He is given the role by Banek, who invites him to see for himself just how the law is in practice.

So, all in all, this was a great movie, I enjoy every minute of it from start to end. And it is probably one of the best movie of 2002.