Changing Lanes

Set into motion by a traffic accident that sparks an ugly game of vengeful one-upmanship, Changing Lanes could have been an electrifying portrait of urban rage run amuck, but it has one insurmountable hurdle: 60% of the movie is spent trying to make a rich, lying, conniving, completely unprincipled Manhattan lawyer (Ben Affleck) seem as sympathetic as his nemesis, a struggling recovering alcoholic (Samuel L. Jackson) who is trying as hard as he can to be a good dad. After the fender bender throws both their lives into turmoil, these two men engage in a vicious cycle of retribution (hacked bank records, ruined credit ratings, bolts removed from Mercedes wheels, threats to bring careers crashing to the ground). While director Roger Michell (Notting Hill) beautifully captures the leads' intensity and agitation, he focuses too much on Affleck, the self-important rich jerk and too little on Jackson, who is clearly the wronged man here. What if both men had been good guys pushed over the edge? Wouldn't that have made for a more interesting character-driven dynamic? Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Roger Michell, a 15-minute "making-of" featurette, a seven minute "The Writers' Perspective" segment with screenwriters Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin, two deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer, and an extended Affleck confessional scene. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a provocative if ultimately somewhat disappointing film.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—May 26, 2009—Paramount, 98 min., R, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2002's Changing Lanes boasts a nice transfer and includes Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to the standard DVD release, including audio commentary by director Roger Michell, a 15-minute “making-of” featurette, a seven-minute “The Writers' Perspective” segment with screenwriters Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin, two deleted scenes, an extended confessional scene, and a trailer. Bottom line: a fine Blu debut for an uneven drama.]