Abuse of power - an old story but well told here.

Rating: 10/10 (7 November 2008)

Abuse of power can be ugly and creates lots of havoc and hurt lots of people. But sometimes it also brings out the best in people as they marshal all their strength and determination to confront and combat the abuse. This movie is about one of those instances where one person, without influence, with few resources but with indomitable will, stands up to a corrupt system, draws a line, and makes her stand. In short, this movie is about heroism and redemption. Cruelty is always repugnant but perhaps never more so then when perpetrated by the very people who swear to protect and defend us. We as members of society invest them with a sacred trust which they in turn promise to honor. This movie is about one of those instances where that sacred trust is dashed to the ground and stomped into the dirt under the dubious pretension of enforcing the law and protecting the public. And what can be more dastardly than the victim being a young single mother? Who among us is more in need of protection and care than a young single mother? What kind of community would even think of wanting to crush a single mother whose only "crime" is that she wants to find her son? This movie poses these questions and does so with a quiet strength that is only equaled by the fundamental forthrightness of the story itself. This story is not a melodrama; there are no hysterics. Rather the story speaks for itself with an eloquence that is almost nonexistent in movies today. Angelina Jolie's performance is outstanding. She dominates this movie. She is the star and deservedly so.
Yes, the movie is a little on the long side, at times seems to drag out, but so what? Here sensationalism takes a back seat to story telling. The supporting cast is excellent and there is a good mixture of pathos and indignation that contribute to keeping the story interesting. The "bad guys" are actually bad because they knew that what they were doing was wrong but did it anyway out of a crass desire to protect their reputations. How pathetic. This movie is about what happens when one person refuses to knuckle under and confronts the system with the only thing she has going for her, the truth. This theme alone makes the movie well worth watching.