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
38
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Gets too caught up in its escalating violence and strained-to-bursting moral subtexts. It's the blood of souls drenching the screen, and it's a hideous sight to behold.
60
Rolling StonePeter Travers
What these guys do for revenge during one hellish day in the Big Apple makes the panic room look like Barney's toy box. The film itself goes off the deep end way before the end credits. 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
50
New Times (L.A.)Luke Y. Thompson
If you can roll with these moments, the rest of the film pays off, but even with a relatively happy ending (one that, given the characters in question, may not last), it's a heck of a downer for date night. 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
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
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
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
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Deeply strange, oddly shimmery movie. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Bleak and complex moral thriller. 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
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
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
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
It is so dishonest that the title Changing Lanes can just as well refer to the cheaply contrived turns in the film. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Definitely erratic, this thing -- all in all, it's the sort of commercial vehicle you might want to stay well back of. 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
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is one of the best movies of the year. 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
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
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
100
New York PostLou Lumenick
Glossy, big-budget thriller that qualifies as the season's biggest and most rewarding surprise. 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
60
Village VoiceDennis Lim
Smitten by the symmetry of his parable, director Roger Michell crosscuts emphatically between the preening leads -- a strategy that only draws attention to the numerous lapses in logic and unpersuasive changes of heart while sidelining the lively supporting cast Read full review
75
USA TodayMike Clark
If it's not conventionally speedy, it is almost always gripping. 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
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A refreshingly novel ride. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Far richer than you'd ever think possible. 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
60
SalonDamien Cave
Despite some solid acting and cinematography -- mistakenly turns what should have been a fast-paced thriller into a cerebral sermon about the slippery slope of corporate law. Read full review
90
VarietyRobert Koehler
Captures the excitement of lightning in a bottle. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
A curious combination of strident preachment and smartly farcical thriller; it's heavy-handed and light-footed at the same time.
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