After a former boss of mine was in a bad car accident, he commented on repeatedly running the "what if" scenario through his head, as in "What if I had left home a minute sooner or later?" and "What if I had driven faster or slower through the intersection?" Although the old mantra is not to cry over spilled milk, it's hard for victims of such occurrences to shake such doubts and accept what happened as fate, misfortune or simple bad luck.
"What if" statements are asked in a different vein by filmmakers who try to capture the feel for their story in a one-sentence question. In "Changing Lanes," screenwriters Chap Taylor (making his writing debut) and Michael Tolkin ("Deep Impact," "The Player") and director Roger Michell ("Notting Hill," "Titanic Town") pose the query of what if a minor accident screwed up two men's lives to the point that they become involved in a progressively escalating tit for tat battle where each tries to punish the other for their initial and then subsequent actions and attitudes.
The result is a compelling and generally well-made drama that comes in all shades of gray rather than the standard Hollywood black and white or right and wrong. There are no clear cut heroes, villains or victims here, nor are there any easy answers or explanations about what transpires. While that might prove to be uncomfortable and unpleasant for mainstream audiences accustomed to and/or needing the usual spoon-fed, cinematic pablum, viewers looking for some thought-provoking and nebulous characters and situations will probably appreciate what's offered here.
On the surface, the basic plot comes off as deceptively simple. Two disparate and desperate men get more than their bumpers tangled and then set out to screw the other out of necessity or just for spite, vindication or their own twisted pleasure as they try to attain their own goals.
Although that might sound like something of a black comedy combination of elements from films such as "The War of the Roses" and "Falling Down" - and the film borders on that genre at times and easily could have completely gone down that path - there's more at work here than just that.
As the two men go to more extreme measures in their battle, they discover and are surprised not only by the ugliness of their own actions, but also by the similar attitudes and behavior of those around them. While they occasionally want and/or try to do the right thing, the pervasive nastiness of their worlds and/or individual ids drag them back down into the muck.
While that might sound too ugly, unpleasant and mean-spirited to some viewers - and it is and will be - the way in which the story is fashioned and then told by the cast and crew makes it a mostly mesmerizing and engaging experience.
Beyond the decent temporal setup of one of the men needing to retrieve important legal documents before the end of the day from the other man who doesn't want to return them due to the first man's initial actions, the filmmakers nicely balance the two men's stories as they unfold in simultaneous fashion and equally keep the viewer intrigued.
For a film like this to work, however, the two leads need to be credible in how they act and react to the circumstances and developments. Thankfully, Samuel L. Jackson ("The Caveman's Valentine," "Shaft") and Ben Affleck ("Pearl Harbor," "Bounce") are up to the task and challenges of the roles. Jackson, of course, is as good as ever and creates a completely believable and sympathetic character, warts and all, but I doubt that will surprise anyone.
Instead, the surprise comes from Affleck. I've been able to accept him in various parts he's played over his career, but he often comes off more like a celebrity actor rather than a serious thespian. Accordingly, I went into this film questioning whether he could pull off the character and meet the demands of this sort of role. While there is a smattering of shaky moments and he obviously won't be clearing any mantel space come awards season, Affleck holds his own and more than adequately plays the part.
Supporting performances are solid across the board, with Sydney Pollack ("Eyes Wide Shut," "Tootsie") and Amanda Peet ("High Crimes," "Saving Silverman") playing a father/daughter duo that shows that corruption doesn't fall far from the family tree. Both are blessed with some terrific moments and lines of dialogue - even if neither is remotely likable - and hit just the right notes in playing their parts.
The same holds true regarding Kim Staunton ("Dragonfly," "Holy Man") playing the distraught wife trying to move her kids away from their troubled father. Meanwhile, Toni Collette ("About a Boy," "The Sixth Sense") and William Hurt ("A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Lost in Space") are also good in their roles and Dylan Baker ("Along Came a Spider," "Happiness") has fun in his brief role as a corrupt "information specialist."
All of the praise aside, the film does have a few problems. Various credibility issues and contrivances are scattered throughout the production. For instance, it seems unlikely that a lawyer would leave the scene of an accident (or be so careless with a file essentially worth $107 million), that setting off one sprinkler sets off all of them (they don't work that way on purpose to prevent what occurs in the film), that the two men would spot or run into each other so often in the big city, or that a person's tire would fall off the precise moment that someone pulls up next to them and gestures that they've done the dirty work to make sure that happens.
In addition, and notwithstanding the pre-set temporal device, the fact that everything transpires in one day is a bit hard to buy at times, while some of the overt symbolism - such as Affleck's character spotting Christ on the cross and presumably representing his suffering - gets a bit too thick.
Such problems/faults thankfully don't sink the production, although they do mar it perhaps a bit too much. Nevertheless, the engaging tale, solid performances and the thought-provoking questions presented in an unconventional cinematic package make this a film worth checking out.
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