A Missed Opportunity to Make a Classic

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2012)

How I wish I was Clint Eastwood's Editor!
Changeling had all the makings of real classic - great story, excellent period location, solid actors, good score...etc, etc, but as usual with Clint, he's overcooked it, takes it one more step and the work skirts with the pornographic.
He should take a leaf out of Hitchcock's book and realise that less is often more in movies. Scorcese also talks about the missing frame on celluloid being planted into the viewers mind (for examples see Tarantino's ear cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs or Danny Boyle's Shallow Grave burial scene.)
What we have with the Changeling is a well produced, well detailed, well acted drama, but it goes to far.
The drawn out execution scene was completely unnecessary, as was the over blown asylum scenes.
Angelina Joli does well in a meaty role, but you can't help feeling she is going through the motions at times and not varying the emotions enough to make it interesting. At almost every dramatic turn we see her face crumple, a few tears fall, then the hands shake, the trembly bony fingers and soon it's the head in the hands and cut to next scene. It all looks a bit formulaic - the method gone sad if you like.
Malkovic puts in a decent shift as the militant preacher fighting police corruption and bad cop Jeffrey Donovan is also pretty good if at times a bit too stupid to be a top cop with his completely narrow view of events.
It's worth watching this movie for the sets and the good storyline, Eastwood delivers fine production values but he needs to get a grip of a decent editor to avoid these dark indulgences that we witness far too often in his movies - Mystic River (a terrible final scene), Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby to name but a few.
Changeling? Watch on TV or rent don't buy the DVD as it's unlikely to invite a second viewing for most.
One final side note - Eastwood might have introduced some typical 1920s entertainment in the back drop - i.e. there was no radio, no source music and the town and townsfolk seemed to be completely lacking in any form of entertainment - bear in mind the film is set in LA during the boom of cinema, live theatre, live music and speakeasies full of flappers - but there is not a sight of any of that. Eastwood's 1920s LA is like Moscow 1950. Disappointing because he had a big opportunity to capture the mood of the 1920s v the contrast of this dark story. All in all worth watching, but once will probably be enough!