Profoundly Disturbing Tale of Justice, Murder, and Corruption - "Changeling" Lives Up To Its Hype.

Rating: 10/10 (12 November 2008)

One of the big movie events of the year, Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" has had a lot of buzz going about it up to its release, and I can tell you that all the chatter about this movie is well-deserved. Based on a true story, the movie focuses on single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie), a working-class woman living in 1928 Los Angeles with her son, Walter. After returning home one afternoon to find Walter has vanished, she seeks help in the Los Angeles Police Department to help find her son. Around five months later, a boy believed to be Walter is brought to L.A. from Illinois, and reunited with Christine - the only problem is, the child returned to her is not in fact Walter. What ensues is a bitter battle with the Los Angeles Police Department and the lead of the investigation, J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan). Aided by a reverend who knows of the LAPD's corrupt history (John Malkovich), Christine desperately searches for her son, but ends up disbelieved by those around her. Meanwhile, a deranged serial killer who may know something about Walter's disappearance is on the run...
Plainly put, I simply loved every piece of this movie. Everything about it was stunning, from the music, to the acting, to the scenery - it was all so amazing. But besides the aesthetics of the film, what is the true point of interest here is the central mystery of the film - what happened to Walter Collins? We, the audience, are taken on an emotional, disturbing roller-coaster ride as Jolie does everything in her power to find her son, but is stomped on repeatedly by those around her (often males). There are layers and layers to the story here, but beneath the surface there is strong commentary on female submission during the era, the power of males in society, and the obvious corruption and greed that can be found within a system that is supposed to help the citizens. All of this comes across quite well, and the elements of the film coerce nicely.
Angelina Jolie delivers an outstanding performance here, that I'm sure would make the real Christine Collins very happy. Her emotions, mannerisms, everything is so spot-on. She owns the role, and the audience can do nothing but sympathize with her character as the grieving, yet strong-willed mother. Supporting performances from academy award nominee John Malkovich and somewhat overlooked performer Jeffrey Donovan (who some horror fans might remember from the "Blair Witch" sequel) are all deserved of praise as well. Another thing I'd like to mention is the capturing of the time - this is a period piece all around, and a very refined one at that. Everything is precise, and the costumes, set-design, and styles of the 1920s are extremely strong, if not completely flawless.
The resolution to the events of the movie still leave questions, but give enough information as to what happened to Walter. The unraveling of everything that takes place about three- fifths through the movie is rapid and intense, with the unveiling of a disturbed ranch- handler who was responsible for the savage murders of twenty kids at his desolate farm, one of them maybe or maybe not being Walter. Apart from the missing-child aspect of the film (which makes it disturbing to begin with), the introduction of the serial-killer aspect is even more horrifying, accompanied by some awfully disturbing flashback sequences depicting the crimes. All the more horrible is that everything in the film is in fact true, and did happen. But at the end of the day, the movie does leave its audience with a glimmer of hope, and concludes itself on a somber but satisfying note as justice is served and some small sense of peace is delivered to Ms. Collins.
Overall, "Changeling" is an extraordinary movie-going experience. As far as period-pieces go, this is probably one of the very best I've ever seen, and the multi-layered plot never loses the viewer. I was completely engaged through all two and a half hours the film lasted, and was extremely happy with the movie when I left the theater. Beautiful cinematography and essentially flawless performances add to the positives here - I really can't complain about this movie at all. "Changeling" is a tragic and disturbing tale of murder, corruption, empowerment - and above all, justice - that will haunt the audience for days after viewing. Highly recommended to anyone who likes a seriously good movie. 10/10.