A thoroughly absorbing mystery

Rating: 8/10 (27 June 2009)

There's no more gripping mystery than a missing child case. Just take a look at the tabloids, who reported the disappearance of little Caylee Anthony for months. If it is a gripping drama for outside viewers, imagine what it must be like for the parents of a missing child. That's what Clint Eastwood's harrowing film, "Changeling," gives us. This is an unforgettable film.
Los Angeles, 1928. Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) leaves for work. When she gets home, her son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) isn't there. She calls the police, but to no avail. But after months of searching, her son is found. However, the boy returned is not Walter. The police don't believe her, and do everything to make her go away. Help arrives with the Reverend Gustav A. Briegleb (John Malkovich), who has long been denouncing the corruption in the LAPD.
"Changeling" has a brilliant story, and director Clint Eastwood wisely focuses on that. Therefore, I find it rather odd that Angelina Jolie walked off with an Oscar nod for her performance. Don't get me wrong, Jolie's performance is amazing, but I think her Oscar recognition was more due to the fact that it would have gotten a lot more viewers if Hollywood's Most Beautiful Couple (Jolie and Brad Pitt) were nominated in the same year. Then again, I guess some recognition has to go to Jolie for being able to pull off a meek disposition in front of the cameras.
Jolie is helped by a number of solid supporting performances. John Malkovich is surprisingly good, playing against type as Briegleb. If someone were to tell me about the character, Malkovich, having made a career out of playing creeps and psychos, is the last person I would have picked. But Malkovich holds his own. Jeffrey Donovan is PERFECTLY cast as the corrupt police officer, Captain J. J. Jones. If there's anyone who can put on an instantaneous fake smile, it's Donovan. That, and he is so good at being so thoroughly unlikable. Jason Butler Harner is chilling as Gordon Stewart Northcutt, bearing a very strong similarity (in both his looks and his performance) to Cillian Murphy. Michael Kelly is warmly low-key as Detective Lester Ybarra, the first cop who is willing to publicly believe Christine. Colm Feore, looking more gaunt than ever, is also effective as the corrupt Chief of Police.
Special mention has to go to the cinematography and the costume design. The color is desaturated, but in an artful kind of way. It looks like a magazine ad, and the effect is amazing. The costume design is spot-on. Everyone looks just like they did in the 20's. If the story weren't so engaging (which it is), "Changeling" would be watchable just because of how it looks.
I've lost confidence in Clint Eastwood's direction after the vastly over-rated "Million Dollar Baby." But with "Changeling," Eastwood proves that he's not afraid to take a chance with his films. And he has the skills to pull it off.
Rent "Changeling." It's better than most of the so-called mysteries out there. It's tremendously involving, and unlike most "thrillers," it's never predictable. That's more than can be said for many films.