Changing Lanes makes interesting viewing

CHANGING LANES stars Ben Affleck as Gavin Banek, a young New York City lawyer who’s married to the boss’s daughter (Amanda Peet) and is on the fast lane to the top.

Doyle Gibson (Samuel L Jackson) is a recovering alcoholic who is struggling to keep his life together. His wife wants to take their two sons to live in Oregon and he’s trying to get enough money together to buy a house to keep them all in New York.

Despite living very different lives, Banek and Gibson’s worlds collide one morning when they run into each other on the highway. In the confusion, Gibson ends up with some important documents that Banek needs for a court appearance. This is the rather simple set-up for a cat and mouse game that won’t end until they’ve both got back what they really want.

One of the interesting features of the film is how Banek and Gibson change as the story unfolds.

They are not naturally nasty guys, but they are forced into doing nasty things by the situations they find themselves in. Banek could lose his job and go to jail, while Gibson could lose his family and his dignity. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Changing Lanes isn’t the kind of film we are likely to be talking about in a few years’ time, but, nonetheless, a believable storyline and characters keeps things moving along nicely.

Action, 15. ***