Another Masterpiece from Eastwood

Rating: 10/10 (12 December 2008)

Clint Eastwood has established himself as master of modern cinema. His films are always interesting and effective and have the benefit of his years of experience, including his work with some of the world's finest directors. Eastwood rarely falls into the bombast. He is a master of control and can do emotionally heavy stories without resorting to worthy sentiment.
His masterpiece, "Million Dollar Baby", showed all of Eastwood's subtle expertise and quiet brilliance. It set the bar high for his next films, and "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima" understandably struggled to live up to expectations. With "Changeling" Eastwood moves away from the more epic scope of the Iwo Jima films and returns to the arena of the person in crisis. It is the astonishing true story of Christine Collins, whose son was kidnapped in 1928. The subsequent investigation, carried out by an LAPD desperate for results and good news, returned a boy who was not her child, and her protests led to her incarceration in a mental asylum before she was eventually, and tragically, proved to be right.
Eastwood gambles somewhat in his central casting choice. Angelina Jolie is a superb actress, but her problem is that she is Angelina Jolie. Her fame can prove to be a barrier to her performances. In other words, it's really hard to forget that it's Angelina Jolie and believe in the character. Here however, she triumphs. It is a magnificent performance and the driving force behind the film. Not only do you believe in Christine Collins but you utterly empathise with her. Jolie deserves an awful lot of recognition for this piece of work.
Jolie's tour-de-force is excellently supported by the rest of the cast. John Malkovich deals with a part which is actually fairly under-developed well and manages to make him an effective character. Jeffrey Donovan is excellent as the corrupt policeman, Captain Jones. However, the second-half of the film moves away from Collins a little and considers the horrendous crime which is associated with her case. At the heart of this are three terrific performances. Michael Kelly is splendid as the film's only good cop, Detective Ybarra (and even he has his dark side). Eddie Alderson is excellent in a brief but impressive appearance as Sanford Clark, a crucial character in the tale. However, one of the most memorable and haunting performances comes from Jason Butler Harner, who brings a chilling depth to Gordon Northcott.
That second-half of the film contains some of the film's real strong points. There is a staggering scene between Alderson and Kelly where the former's Sanford Clark tells the latter's detective about the horrible crimes he has witnessed and been coerced into. During this highly effective scene, Eastwood cuts from horrendous flashbacks to a simple shot of the detective's cigarillo, still in his hand, now more ash than tobacco. It is a brief example of Eastwood's subtle brilliance as a director.
The film, although it is lengthy, is never dull and merits every scene. Having said this, Eastwood missteps slightly toward the end when there is a scene in a prison where the determined but quiet Collins suddenly becomes uncharacteristically violent. This scene is immediately followed by a hanging scene which shows a bit too much of the event and could be called gratuitous. The slice of closure which is achieved in that scene is necessary; the manner in which the scene is carried out is not.
However, this is a small complaint in light of the rest of the film. The delicate score (composed by that man Eastwood again) and the subtle photography in themselves make up for those small errors. Added to that, Eastwood has crafted a superb drama which tells a gripping and shocking story well, and has a lot to say about the state, ordinary people and freedom. But at the core, this film is a heartbreaking and moving tale about a mother separated from her son and the selfish and horrible forces which acted against her and those good men and women who fought with her. It's a triumph for Jolie and another masterpiece from Eastwood.
5 Stars out of 5