Some great performances

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2014)

In 1928 Los Angeles, single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) is one of the first supervisors of telephone operators. Her son Walter goes missing after a day at work. The LAPD is slow to help. The police is under pressure for being corrupt. Five months later, Captain J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) gives her an abandoned boy dressed up to be Walter and promoted as a great reunion. However Christine refuses to accept the lie and the cops dismiss her. She enlists the help of Rev. Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich). The police throws her into the insane asylum. Meanwhile Detective Lester Ybarra (Michael Kelly) is investigating a case leading a child killing ring which Jones aims to cover up.
This is a harrowing based on true story. Angelina Jolie does a great performance. The story does meander as all true stories tend to do which takes aways some of the intensity. It definitely goes to a different place than what I expected. I wasn't expecting child murders. Jeffrey Donovan also has a terrific performance as the villain of the piece. It's one movie where I hoped for a happy ending but that's not the case in real life.