Eastwood shows no sign of stopping as a director.

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2008)

As with Eastwood's film 'Million Dollar Baby' where you begin is certainly not where you end up, shot with 1920's Los Angeles as its backdrop it tells the true story of Christine Collins (Jolie) a mother who son goes missing only to be returned some months later, but is the child the police return to her actually her son? At two and a half hours of mostly Angelina crying some maybe put off but I urge you not to be because if you do you will miss what is essentially a great movie. Filled with shades of The Green Mile, L.A. Confidential, There Will Be Blood and even earlier Jolie outing Girl Interrupted, Eastwood weaves the plot around the cast and the city of angels but it is Jolie's performance that is not only one of her best but quite rightly tipped for an Oscar. Yes at times she over emotes but she also shows us how good an actress she can be and at several times I had forgotten it was her I was watching. The script, apparently unchanged from its first draft, is strong and gives the actors and the director plenty to work with and again deals with empathy, wrath, injustice and revenge. But directing aside it is also the cinematography that excels creating the city streets and making them look so believable for the cast to work within add to that the film stock giving that bleached, washed out effect and the 1920's have never looked so real. It's as grey as the corrupt cop's suits, which is why even the slightest hint of colour like Jolie's red lipstick really stands out. All in all the film is almost perfect; there is a slight bit that is so cheesy you may physically wince but that is a minor quibble, the plot will keep you guessing and at the hands of a master like Eastwood there is never any drag as it reaches its conclusion. Another to add to his unstoppable career and a must see movie that will no doubt be heavily talked about come Oscar time.