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I've seen the trailer for this movie a few times.

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Long Live the "Syndication Underground"
The more things change...
The more they stay the same.

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can't believe i am saying that about a movie ben affleck is in

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"Part of what 'Changing Lanes' is about is the way in which we can be dehumanized by civilization," observes Affleck. "That's why people get this road rage, because they are encapsulated in their car, and you become separated from other people. You say things you would never say standing behind someone at the bank ... if they step on your toe [by accident]."

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I like it when they show Samuel L. Jackson stealing Ben Affleck tires.

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CHANGING LANES

Finally, a thinking person's thriller.

Running time: 99 minutes. Rated R (profanity, but very little violence). At the E Walk, the Lincoln Square, the Orpheum, others.


'CHANGING Lanes" is a glossy, big-budget thriller that qualifies as the season's biggest and most rewarding surprise.

It's actually about something - tough issues like ethics and morality - and challenges you to root for either of its two deeply flawed antagonists, brilliantly played by Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Affleck.

At first, our sympathies tend toward Doyle Gibson (Jackson), a struggling insurance salesman who's trying to buy a home in Queens for his ex-wife and two young sons so they won't move to Oregon.

His plans are dashed because of a chance encounter on the FDR Drive one Good Friday with Gavin Banek (Affleck), a high-powered Wall Street attorney.

After a fender bender that leaves Doyle's car un-driveable, Banek is in such a rush to leave the scene of the accident to get to court that he offers Doyle a blank check for the damages.

Doyle turns him down, insisting instead on exchanging insurance information. An exasperated Banek drives off in a huff - leaving Doyle stranded in the rain, but also leaving behind a vital legal document.

This has crucial implications for Banek, leaving him and his bosses open to dire legal consequences if the missing document isn't recovered by the end of the day.

Doyle, meanwhile, shows up late for a crucial custody hearing that goes badly against him.

This sets the scene for an escalating series of exchanges between the two men, who make worse and worse choices as their stress levels mount.

When Doyle discovers the document and its value to Banek, he decides to taunt the attorney rather than return it. Banek quickly abandons attempts at persuasion and turns to a computer hacker (a wonderfully creepy Dylan Baker) to destroy Doyle's credit in a misguided attempt at blackmail.

Screenwriters Chap Taylor and Michael Tolkin pull off the neat trick of reversing our sympathies several times.

Doyle totally loses it outside a bar where his sobriety is tested - the movie's only brief burst of violence - and seeks potentially lethal revenge against Banek.

Banek, who, it turns out, is being used by his bosses in a multimillion-dollar scam, retaliates in a truly horrifying sequence at the school of Doyle's children.

Totally going against type as the very un-cool and hotheaded Doyle, Jackson gives his most riveting performance since "Pulp Fiction."

As the increasingly desperate Banek, Affleck - who has a tendency to coast through his roles with superficial performances - hasn't been this focused or emotionally vulnerable since "Chasing Amy."

The stars receive help from a superb supporting cast, especially Sydney Pollack as Banek's manipulative boss and father-in-law, who gives him a frightening lecture on moral relativism.

Toni Collette is excellent as Banek's former mistress and confidante, and William Hurt has a great cameo as Doyle's Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, who pinpoints his friend's personality problems.

Kim Staunton is more than capable as Doyle's exasperated ex-wife, but the biggest surprise here is Amanda Peet, coming off a string of bad movies, who nails her part as Banek's cold-bloodedly greedy wife.

"Changing Lanes" is directed with rare intelligence and not a little humor by Roger Michell, the Brit responsible for "Notting Hill."

Exploring morally gray areas in a way that American studios movies have largely avoided since the '70s, it's caviar in a movie marketplace devoted almost entirely to fast food.

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You should hate a movie because IT stinks, not because you don't like the actors. An A-list cast can't make a movie good if the script sucks to begin with.

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