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Amazon.co.uk Review
Clint Eastwood’s mastery as a director, established over the past decade and a half with Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, and others, continues with Changeling, a 2008 offering based on a shocking but all-too-true story about child abduction and police corruption in 1920s Los Angeles. Single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie, excellent in a role with somewhat limited parameters) finds her 9-year-old son, Walter, missing when she returns home from work one day. She files a report with the Los Angeles Police Department, an outfit that was wildly unpopular at the time (in his regular radio broadcast, a crusading pastor played by John Malkovich decries the force as "violent and corrupt," adding that "our protectors are our brutalisers"). When a child roughly matching Walter’s description turns up in Illinois five months later, the LAPD, intent on salvaging its tattered reputation, is only too eager to claim that he is Collins’ missing child. Little matters that he’s three inches shorter, is circumcised (Walter wasn’t), and fails to pass muster with Walter’s dentist, schoolteacher, and others; the cops, in particular the odious Captain J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan), insist that the mistake is Christine’s, not theirs. What follows is almost too nightmarish to believe--except that it actually happened. Exasperated by Collins’ continued claim that "Walter" is a fraud, they trot out a doctor to reinforce the bogus ID, declare her unfit as a mother, and finally have her committed to a local psychopathic ward. Through it all, Collins, bolstered by the pastor and thousands of outraged Angelenos, refuses to sign a document that would exonerate the police for their egregious error. As for Walter, it’s only when the LAPD’s seemingly only honest detective (Michael Kelly) takes matters into his own hands that the grisly mystery of the child’s fate begins to be solved. That would have been a good place for the film to conclude, too. Unfortunately, it goes on for more than another half hour, with innumerable false endings that add nothing to the story and could just as easily have been summarised with a few sentences before the final credits. That flaw aside (and it’s a major one), Changeling is a powerful film, with a realistic period feel, a wonderfully muted vibe and color palette, and an understated score by Eastwood himself. --Sam Graham
Product Description
Angelina Jolie, Colm Feore, Jason Butler Harner, Jeffrey Donovan, Amy RyanDirector: Clint Eastwood
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
105 of 111 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I want MY son!",
By
This review is from: Changeling [DVD] (DVD)
Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins whose nine-year old son vanished from their Los Angeles home in 1928. She met with little cooperation from the police, and when they finally found the boy and brought him back home, she said, "That's not my son."
This movie was based on a true story and directed by Clint Eastwood in a gritty, no-frills style. There isn't a lot of action, but it definitely holds your interest until the very end. Jolie gives a strong performance as the mother who wouldn't stop looking for her son, even when she battled the corrupt police chief. Jolie is on-screen just about every minute and is a formidable screen presence. She and the rest of the cast, including John Malkovich, are all good in this very somber and intense piece. The costumes, sets, and locations are perfectly done in 1920s style and the photography uses a lot of natural light adding to the old-fashioned feel. The movie about a mother's love and police corruption is fascinating, but it's also relentlessly grim and left me feeling quite depressed. A well-made movie, though.
58 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Takes its place amongst the first rank of Eastwood's work,
By Rob (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Changeling [DVD] (DVD)
Changeling is a gripping movie for adults - 'manna for grown ups' as one reviewer rightly called it. Angelina Jolie turns in a terrific performance as Christine Collins, a demure single mother in 1920's Los Angeles whose missing son becomes a rallying point for the oppressed citizens of LA, who are suffering under the boot of a ruthlessly corrupt police force & mayoralty.
But as Christine struggles with an impostor son that a disinterested LA police force has preposterously tried to fob her off with as her own there's a big twist when another young boy is arrested in a routine deportation case & does he have a story to tell. A tale so horrifying that it would instantly qualify as any parents worst nightmare. When I saw this film in the cinema the packed out audience gasped - literally gasped out loud - during the confession scene between this kid & the police officer. Jolie has never been quite this good & she brings a fantastic larger than life movie star presence to her role. She's a terrific actress in the body of a goddess & watching her evokes so much of the spirit of a Rita Hayworth or a Joan Crawford in their luminous prime. But she's not the only star here. One of the great pleasures of Changeling is watching so many unknown character actors given the chance to strut their stuff & boy do they take it. The script is just as outstanding, moving effortlessly from one genre to another - part period crime thriller, part psycho ward drama, part serial killer movie, part courtroom procedural. It begins small & then expands to take in political corruption, the status of women in the 1920's, the way children & adults view the same event, & the satisfaction (or not) of capital punishment. What's most impressive is the way Clint Eastwood orchestrates all of this because Changeling shifts gears so smoothly that one remains completely transfixed, indeed amazed, throughout. Changeling represents a notable development in Eastwood's evolution as a filmmaker. Never before has he handled such a sprawling, multi-stranded story with such ease & confidence. There's also a real sense of anger as Eastwood leaves us in no doubt how he feels about the way Collins - & the other female victims of the pernicious Code 12 - were treated by the authorities. As much as Changeling is a hugely enjoyable picture, true life stories in which authorities such as the police & social services victimise single mothers, in order to conceal their own incompetence dealing with children at risk, mean that Changeling carries a genuine contemporary resonance as a cautionary tale. Amazon's editorial review suggests the film goes on to long & sags in the final stretch. I couldn't disagree more. In fact I think this is one of the best edited movies I have seen in a long while. The multiple storylines & shifting emotional moods are so well captured by Joel Cox & Gary Roach's editing that they deserved an Oscar nomination. The technical aspects are also top notch throughout & how pleasing it is to see a period piece in which the sets & costumes never once overwhelm the characters or the story. Eastwood's lovely score is the icing on the cake. Changeling was the first of two masterful Eastwood movies in 2008, the other being Gran Torino. Both come highly recommended for those hungering for movies the way they used to make 'em (& I mean that in the best possible sense).
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
probably the best film i've ever seen,
By
This review is from: Changeling [Blu-ray][Region Free] (Blu-ray)
I don't like Angelina Jolie and find Clint Eastwood Productions are often superficial,watchable but lacking depth.On both counts,this film proved me wrong.It was with some trepidation that myself and my wife sat down to watch this film.From the first moment to the last,in excess of two hours,it grips you and you won't want to miss a minute.Based on a true story of a working mum who leaves her Son to go work and returns home to find him gone.The film is set in the 1920's and the attention to detail is amazing.The LAPD are corrupt and manufacture a situation that they hope will stop them having to search for yet another missing boy.The acting and script are superb and Blu-ray just adds to the film.There are many twists and turns to ensure you can't predict what will happen next.Highly recommended,i can't remember watching a better,more engrossing film.
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