"Changing Lanes" is a perfect example of misleading marketing that plagues most movies these days. Just as Miramax tried to sell "In The Bedroom" as a thriller rather than the slow-paced drama it is, Paramount is currently doing the same with "Changing Lanes." The studios make sure all of the "exciting" moments are in the trailer and hope audiences take the bait.

While nowhere near as good as the powerful and moving "In The Bedroom," "Changing Lanes" is a surprisingly thoughtful, well-written and bold film that benefits from an excellent cast and the assured directing of Roger Michell ("Notting Hill"). It cops out in the end but manages to be an alluring attempt at a morality tale until then.

The beginning swiftly and effectively introduces us to two very different men. Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson) is desperately trying to put his life back together. The recovering alcoholic and father of two young boys needs a loan to buy a house that he hopes will convince his wife not to leave him.

Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) is an attorney on the rise. Bright and determined, he works at his father-in-laws successful firm and is already finding himself living the good life, full of expensive cars, fancy restaurants and luxury boats. Though at core he's a decent guy, wealth and ambition are slowly blinding Gavin.

One random morning, Doyle and Gavin are taking New York City's FDR Drive to the courthouse. Doyle is seeing a judge about saving his marriage and protecting his right to see his children. Gavin is presenting papers that will allow his firm to control a deceased man's charity foundation, valued at $107 million.

Without warning, Doyle and Gavin run into each other and get into a minor fender bender. It happens incredibly fast and it's difficult to determine who is at fault, but apparently Gavin cut Doyle off. Neither man is hurt and there is only minor damage to their vehicles. But Gavin is in a hurry and he leaves Doyle stranded, telling him "better luck next time."

Unfortunately for Gavin, he leaves behind the power of appointment folder that contains the documents he requires in court. The judge gives him until the end of the day to present them.

Doyle, meanwhile, has taken the folder and eventually makes it to his own case. But he is late and the judge refuses to hear him out. His wife is tired of Doyle's excuses and his irresponsibility. She is ready to leave with the boys and start a new life in Portland, Oregon.

Thus begins a chain of events that Gavin starts in order to get the folder back. His father-in-law is not pleased, to say the least, and Gavin could go to jail for fraud. On the advice of a co-worker, he has a man hack into Doyle's back account and make him bankrupt, which loses Doyle the loan he had received for the house, his last resort in saving his family.

That just gets the ball rolling, and soon the men are going back and forth, seeing who can outwit who. It becomes dangerous in a short period of time, but Gavin has more to lose now, seeing as Doyle really has nothing left.

"Changing Lanes" works because it stays close to a gray area. Neither man is the good guy or the villain. Doyle and Gavin are men who want to do what's right (most of the time) but stumble thanks to flaws that everyone has. They are just two ordinary guys caught in a tough situation.

Jackson and Affleck both do fine work here, which is typical for the former and more infrequent for the latter ("Pearl Harbor," "Reindeer Games"). Both give a committed, sincere performance, creating a complex character that struggles with drawing the line between right and wrong.

Michell's direction is also a vital asset. He and editor Christopher Tellefsen do a fantastic job juxtaposing Doyle and Gavin throughout the movie. Michell efficiently uses a lot of extreme close ups on the characters, in addition to wobbly, slightly out-of-focus shots, to help the viewer understand exactly how each person is feeling.

The ending is where "Changing Lanes" fails. It has the strong odor of studio tampering and feels like it was tacked on at the last minute to ensure that audience members leave feeling good about themselves and the world we live in. A more ambiguous conclusion would have been ideal for the type of film it is for so long, instead of the conventional Hollywood ending that it has.

But nobody's perfect, and "Changing Lanes" is more absorbing and ambitious than 95% of movies these days. In other words, you can do a whole lot worse.

"Changing Lanes" opens at theaters everywhere on Fri., April 12. Click here for showtimes.