Changing Lanes
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: April 12, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews
Positive:
27
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is one of the best movies of the year. Read full review
100
New York PostLou Lumenick
Glossy, big-budget thriller that qualifies as the season's biggest and most rewarding surprise. Read full review
90
VarietyRobert Koehler
Captures the excitement of lightning in a bottle. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Out of that clever setup, Changing Lanes pulls both the promised taut suspense and a much deeper film: an ethics thriller. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Frustrating yet deeply watchable melodrama that makes you think it's a tougher picture than it is. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
It's an elegant, civilized, and deeply liberal piece of craftsmanship, with the sort of social conscience you rarely encounter in a modern American thriller. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderSergio Mims
Jackson's portrait of impotent rage is tremendous, and Affleck, who drops his usual smugness, is surprisingly good. Read full review
80
The New YorkerDavid Denby
The plot, with its matched, escalating acts of revenge, may be a contrivance, but within that contrivance Changing Lanes plays earnest and well. [6 May 2002, p. 138]
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
The movie goes for the throat and keeps squeezing. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Far richer than you'd ever think possible. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Rarely have I seen a film so willing to champion the fallibility of the human heart. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Loses its nerve in the final minutes, relying on a series of contrivances to arrive at an unconvincingly pat, happy ending. The story begged for a darker, more biting resolution. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Seething, searing tragedy of unmannerliness. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A thrilling ride but also a thoughtful one, it's a movie that does manage to do more good than bad by the end of the day. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Modern film noir done with flair and commitment. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Teasing drama whose relentless good-deed/bad-deed reversals are just interesting enough to make a sinner like me pray for an even more interesting, less symmetrical, less obviously cross-shaped creation. Read full review
75
USA TodayMike Clark
If it's not conventionally speedy, it is almost always gripping. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A refreshingly novel ride. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
While Changing Lanes isn't a perfect movie, it's watchable and compelling, and works on more than one level. Read full review
70
Film ThreatMichael Dequina
As it stands Changing Lanes already exceeds expectations, provoking serious thought while skillfully telling a compelling, character-driven story. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
More entertaining than it has a right to be. It's pulpy and preposterous, and yet it gets at a real truth. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
Although what ensues is generally unsurprising and as pro forma down-and-dirty as the genre dictates, it's also on occasion rather affecting. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Deeply strange, oddly shimmery movie. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The movie just seems like one more Hollywood cop-out, and a waste of our original emotional investment. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
For all its pretensions, Changing Lanes, ultimately, is about nothing more profound than one foul day. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
It's watchable from start to finish, despite lapses in common sense, and it boasts a terrific cast of over-40 actors. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeRenee Graham
Banek is one of the more complex characters Affleck has attempted, but the performance comes off flat and uninvolving. Read full review
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