Changeling undoubtedly goes to waste, no matter how powerful it may be.

Rating: Null/10 (7 December 2008)

They say that timing is everything, and while it is certainly a hard thing to imagine many audiences in our current social climate wanting to go see a film as downright dark and confrontational as Changeling, the quality of the feature as a whole remains a statement as to why you might want to give it a try. There's no doubt about it however, Eastwood here delivers a thoughtful and extremely emotive tale that very rarely caters to anyone's desires for uplifting holiday entertainment, and as such, things can get a little overbearing. Nevertheless, despite a severe miscalculation in terms of release, there's still plenty to take away from the experience, even if it does ask that you leave all expectations of personal enjoyment in the lobby; from the top class ensemble of performers to the stark detail present in Straczynski's script, Changeling is a gruelling and oft emotionally demanding tale that bestows a feeling of fulfilment and depth in place of entertainment. For that purpose I can only advise this to the select few willing to subject themselves to a story even more depressing than the world we live in today; and in that regard Changeling undoubtedly goes to waste, no matter how powerful it may be.
Telling the true story of Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) and her battle with the LAPD after her son goes missing and is replaced by a fraudulent impostor, Straczynski here delves into territory that he is all too familiar with. This experience in dealing with conspiracy, corruption, politics and personal grievance gives the writer a firm hold on both his characters and plot, all of which are notably out of balance and overly contorted in the film's earlier stages, but come together neatly enough in the end. To his greatest credit however, Straczynski always keep the focus on his characters rather than his overriding themes; Changeling is a story of human perseverance for the cause of justice in a world where the word itself reeks of absurdity. It's a story that continually challenges the viewer and reveals layer after layer of development in both character and plot to the point where all such misgivings regarding the movie's dark nature are soon dispelled. Christine Colins' story certainly isn't one to be taken lightly by any means, but there remains light within the screenplay that glints at some form of hope, even if it does take the form of a shoestring. This acute balance of desperation and the harsh, bitter reality of Colins' predisposition isn't perfect more tears are shed in this movie than the average weepy- but nevertheless fulfils its purpose adequately enough in detailing a powerful struggle with corruption and personal loss.
When it comes to the movie's biggest selling point, that is, the performers and the cowboy directing them however, I am of conflicting thoughts; on the one hand the movie for the most part remains coherent and rigorously compelling beginning to end, with little to no missteps from most involved. On the other hand I couldn't help but notice that leading star Angelina Jolie here, although giving a by-the-book Oscar-nod performance, too often reeks of trying too hard. She and director Clint Eastwood shoot Collins as an extremely withered, frail and timid creature prone to weeping at any given chance; sure, there are plenty of moments when this is poignant and warranted to her character, but an abundance of these scenes such as is present here, cheapens her to someone that doesn't feel as human as she ought to be. What's most striking is that given her position, she too often sinks into the background when brought in amongst her co-stars; yes, her character isn't the most photogenic for the big screen, but with so much focus on so little development on the main character herself, the result is more blunt than to the point.
With much more convincing and striking performances from the maniacal, slimy Jason Harner and the ever compelling John Malkovich however, Changeling more often than not hits the nail on the head in the performance department. Placed within the terrific production values of the movie which transport you back into 1920's America with absolute ease that never draws attention to itself, Eastwood does fantastically well with the remainder of Straczynski's multi-layered and dynamic script. Yet constantly burdened with a limp sense of focus and direction coupled with an overbearing sense of tragedy that too often milks the audience for all the tears its worth, Changeling is in no way perfect, no matter how convincing its appearance might otherwise have you believe. For all it's worth though, the movie remains as a remarkably solid and well told historically based drama that more often than not gets the job done in conveying the contrast between the light and dark sides of human desire, ambition and power.

A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)