Changing Lanes

Changing Lanes is not your average studio picture. Co-written by Michael Tolkin, who sliced Hollywood apart in his novel and screenplay The Player, this is an angry film that bristles with well-crafted dialogues and debates concerning what it means to do the right thing in the modern world. While it lacks the inspiration of, say, a Magnolia or Being John Malkovich, Roger Michell's assured handling of the subject goes some way to ensuring that the themes are never dumbed-down for mass consumption.

It's the story of two men, both heading for court when they bump into each other on the freeway. Gavin Banek (Affleck) is a lawyer, rushing to file a signed form proving that an elderly millionaire turned over control of his foundation to Banek's law firm. The less-privileged Doyle Gipson (Jackson), a recovering alcoholic still attending meetings, is hoping to convince his estranged wife not to move with their children to Oregon - by showing in court he has loan-approval to buy a house for his family. After they collide, Affleck signs a blank cheque and zooms off, leaving Jackson standing car-less on a busy overpass with the sound of "Better off next time" ringing in his ears. But Banek forgets his precious file - and it is here that the battle begins.

Unlike Barry Levinson's Tin Men, this is no tit-for-tat movie, where each revenge manoeuvre simply gets more sadistic. Over the course of a day, as the hours wear on, the two men begin to assess the way they live their lives. While Gipson becomes aware that he simply invites trouble (as when he walks into a bar and picks a fight with two white guys), Banek realises he has sold his soul. "I could have married an honest man," his wife (Peet) tells him, explaining that her father and his boss (Pollack) has been a cheat all his life. Willing to trade her integrity for a life of luxury, she expects her hubbie to do the same.

There is first-rate work from the large suporting cast, including Pollack as Banke's corrupt father-in-law and Baker (perhaps best known for his paedophile turn in Todd Solondz's Happiness) as a malodorous computer hacker. With such strong performances married to thoughtful, provocative material, Changing Lanes hits fifth gear.