This raises an interesting theoretical problem: can a good movie survive a poor ending? Can you ringfence the dodgy finish in your mind, or does the rot spread backward, contaminating all that has gone before? Changing Lanes is a tough urban rage drama about Gavin, an obnoxious yuppie lawyer played by Ben Affleck. One terrible day his car crashes into that of Doyle (Samuel L Jackson), a recovering alcoholic with anger-management issues. Their row spirals into an obsessive duel in which each tries to destroy the other's life. It's a bit contrived, but this is a strongly acted two-hander, adroitly orchestrated by the British director Roger Michell, and Affleck particularly shows how convincing he can be as the besuited corporate asshole, a reminder of his excellent turn in Ben Younger's Boiler Room.
It would be an error of taste to reveal the ending but also a dereliction of critical duty not to report that it is the most incredibly weak, pusillanimous cop-out. In the light of this fiasco, it's not difficult not to look back and discover that the film has been having its cake and eating it: shocking us with raw hate, yet reassuring us that the co-stars are not total monsters. Well, the ending is a disaster - but the performances and energy of this movie deserve the benefit of the doubt.