Plot

A young lawyer and a businessman share a small automobile accident, and their mutual road rage escalates into a feud.

A successful New York attorney, Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck), is in a rush to file a power of appointment, which will prove a rich dead man (Simon Dunne) signed his foundation over to Banek's law firm. The dead man's daughter Mina Dunne (Jennifer Dundas Lowe) is opposed to Banek getting hold of the foundation as she wants to control the funds herself. Mina indicates that Banek's actions are against the spirit of what Simon would have wanted for the foundation. Banek is under pressure from his law firm partners (Stephen Delano (Sydney Pollack), Walter Arnell (Richard Jenkins)) to bag the account. Michelle (Toni Collette) is Banek's colleague at the office.

Banek has a collision with another car, belonging to an insurance salesman, Doyle Gipson (Samuel L Jackson) a recovering alcoholic attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to stay sober. Earlier in the week, Gipson was looking at an apartment in Manhattan. He also met his banker, who told him that his loan was approved. Gipson is also in a rush to a hearing to try to gain custody of his children and to prevent his estranged wife from taking them to Oregon.

Banek tries to brush Gipson off with a blank check, rather than exchanging insurance information, thereby disobeying the law. Gipson refuses to accept the check and voices his desire to "do the right thing", that is, filing a police report and insurance claim. But Banek, whose car can still be driven, insists upon leaving immediately. Banek strands Gipson, telling him, "Better luck next time". After arriving to the court late, Gipson learns that it proceeded without him and that it didn't go in his favor. Gipson learns that the judge ruled against him in his absence, giving sole custody of the boys to Gipson's wife and allowing her to proceed with a plan to move to Oregon, never knowing that Gipson was about to buy a house locally and give it to his wife and children as part of his effort to make joint custody workable for everyone.

Unfortunately for Banek, he dropped the crucial power of appointment file at the scene of the accident, and the judge gives him until the end of the day to re-obtain the papers and present them. Gipson, who took the papers, is in a state of dilemma on whether to return the file especially after the events of the day.

On the other hand, Banek desperate to get his papers back, goes to someone skilled with computers and gets him to switch off Gipson's credit. Gipson needed credit for a loan so he could buy a house for his family. Gipson's wife Valerie (Kim Staunton) had filed for divorce, has custody of the kids Stephen (Akil Walker) & Danny (Cole Hawkins) & wants to move to Oregon, but Gipson has purchased a house in NY for her to stay along with his sons, so that he can be near them. Gipson becomes further enraged, determined to make life difficult for Banek.

Gipson is distraught when he finds out his credit has been ruined and he comes close to drinking again. Determined to get back at Banek, Gipson removes several lug nuts from one of Banek's wheels, and Banek suffers some minor injuries after his car crashes on the highway.

An infuriated Banek goes to the elementary school of Gipson's children and tells school officials that Gipson plans to kidnap the boys, so Gipson is arrested and jailed. His enraged wife declares her intention to move forward with taking their sons to Oregon and says that Gipson will never see them again.

Meanwhile Gavin gets suspicious that his partners sent him alone to represent his firm for the custody hearing of a 107 MM $ foundation. He suspects foul play on behalf of his partners & wonders that he has even seen the rest of the files of the foundation. He tells his partners about how he lost the power of appointment for the Dunne foundation. The partners ask him to reformat the power of appointment & use the signature page from the living will of Simon Dunne to forge a new power of appointment file. Gavin activates the sprinkler system to empty the office & takes the time to study the original Dunne foundation files & discovers that the partners are paying themselves 1.5 MM $ per year out of the foundation money just to manage it.

Gipson calls Banek & asks him to turn on his credit before his meeting with the banker in 1/2 hour or he will destroy the power of appointment. Banek agrees & asks his man to turn the credit back on. The credit is turned back on, but a bankruptcy filing on Gipson is missed & shows up in his records during Gipson's meeting with the banker. On this basis his loan application is refused.

Though it is made clear that Banek and Gipson are radically different, they both have an angry, vengeful streak, each capable of abandoning their morals just to punish the other. Both men having a new outlook on life, concentrating on ethics and the moral implications of their actions.

Banek approaches Gipson's bank & tries to co-sign the loan application so that Gipson can see his kids everyday by keeping them in NY. Banek also writes a letter to the court admitting that the power of appointment is a fake & was obtained by him & his partners when Mr Simon Dunne was of reduced mental facilities.

Ultimately the two men apologize to each other, and Gipson returns the file, but it looks to be too late for both of what they were trying to do. Banek ends up using the file to force his boss to do the right thing & return the 3 MM $ he stole from Dunne's foundation till date and plans to represent Gipson pro Bono so he can get the house he wants.

Banek also visits Gipson's wife to explain everything to her, knowing he owes Gipson that much. Gipson's wife and children smile at him from across the street, indicating a possible reconciliation or at the very least some kind of arrangement between the two in the future.