Changing Lanes Blu-ray Disc (Roger Michell, 2002)

Paramount (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
98 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Extras: audio commentary; The Making of Changing Lanes; A Writer’s Perspective; deleted/extended scenes; theatrical trailer

Released: 19 May 2009

When I first saw Changing Lanes, I bought it hook, line, and sinker. The movie has a persuasive momentum, and I got caught up in it. Re-visiting the title for its Blu-ray release, I now find myself cringing at how over-the-top and preposterous it is.

Everything leading up to the set-up is fine. Two characters meet in a traffic accident on an important day of their lives. The accident causes both of them to experience great legal difficulties, so what do they do? Instead of trying to help each other, they start fighting each other. The script becomes a series of escalations that are so contrived that you wonder why the characters don’t just get guns and shoot each other (or themselves).

In one case, Samuel L. Jackson removes the screws from Ben Affleck’s car wheels. Amazingly, instead of falling off quickly, the wheels stay attached to the car long enough for the two fellas to meet on a highway. I guess the wheels knew that they had to stay attached until Jackson passed Affleck in traffic again, showing him the tool that he used to sabotage Affleck’s car. Yeah, right.

Video:
While clean and relatively free of print damage, the 2.35:1 1080p image looks tired. This is due in part to the muted color palette, but in general, the picture seems to lack the level of detail that one usually associates with Blu-ray presentations.

Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English has a handful of dynamic moments (mostly during scenes with heavy traffic). Otherwise, the audio reflects the talk-heavy nature of the story. Music cues are carried by the front mains and the surround channels, though the center channel is usually the only one reporting for duty.

Extras:
There are only a handful of so-so extras, including an audio commentary by the director, “The Making of Changing Lanes”, and “A Writer’s Perspective”. You also get 3 deleted/extended scenes and the theatrical trailer.