Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 45 Ratings

  • Starring: Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson
  • Summary: A rush hour fender-bender on New York City's crowded FDR Drive turns two complete strangers into vicious adversaries. (Paramount Pictures)
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 36
  2. Negative: 1 out of 36
  1. 100
    This is one of the best movies of the year.
  2. 80
    Out of that clever setup, Changing Lanes pulls both the promised taut suspense and a much deeper film: an ethics thriller.
  3. Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    60
    Bleak and complex moral thriller.
  4. Gets too caught up in its escalating violence and strained-to-bursting moral subtexts. It's the blood of souls drenching the screen, and it's a hideous sight to behold.

See all 36 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 30
  2. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. CorentinH.
    9
    Very good movie. I love the music and ambiance ...
  2. 8
    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. Bet
    ween 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. Expand
  3. JW
    7
    Pretty darn good, given the wild leaps it sometimes makes. Both leads play against type; Jackson by looking frumpy and helpless, Affleck by doing a decent acting job in a worthwhile film. What's with Pollack and boats these days? Expand
  4. 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. Expand

See all 30 User Reviews

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