Review: ‘Changeling’

Travis:

Clint Eastwood, as a director, is one of your more consistent directors of drama working today. Not every movie he makes is great, but he also never makes a terrible movie. Eastwood tends to hang out in that sombre central zone of filmmaking where he steps lightly into controversial material and then sort of amazes you how he maintains such a realistic and level-headed film that tells a great story.

‘Changeling’ is about a single mother in 1928 Los Angeles whose son turns up missing. Jolie plays Christine Collins, a woman who learns first hand about the corruption embedded within the powers that be at that time as she fights to find her son, despite the LAPD’s persistent refusal to admit it screwed up. The story is all about a woman that finds herself truly testing her own resolve and being pushed to the limits of what it means to be strong and fight for what you believe. John Malkovich offers a typical yet entertaining performance as Rev. Gustav Briegleb, a popular Protestant preacher who comes to Christine’s defense.

‘Changeling’ is a perfect example of this ability in Eastwood to tell a fascinating and moving story without falling victim to Hollywood’s addiction to adding glitz and glamour and over-exaggerated melodrama. One of the most significant ways in which Eastwood achieves this is by working within his own realm, his own universe, in all areas of the creative process from cinematography to the acting and even the score, which the less-familiar filmgoer would likely not believe that Eastwood can write some great orchestral work… not to mention his incredible sense of jazz.

I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to be a sucker for movies based on true stories. I’m even more fascinated by the true stories I’ve never heard of before and this one really had me wrapped around its little finger. But there’s two sides to every coin and this one is that my bias towards true stories makes it difficult to accurately judge the movie in an objective light. So, here’s what it boils down to… ‘Changeling’ is better than good, but not quite great. I am certainly not going to jump on the Best Picture band wagon destined for Oscar-town, and I’m currently sitting on the fence over whether it’s even nominee-worthy. The color palette chosen for ‘Changeling’ nails that sombre mood that Eastwood cherishes so much, but it also sort of reacts with the 141 minute running time like two contradicted medications being taken together and resulting in a minor risk of short-term coma. I’m not suggesting that the film is boring. It certainly is not that, but it is a film that travels at about the same pace, perhaps slightly behind that of ‘Unforgiven’.

So, I have to ask myself… if the film really was “nearly” great, what was that element that held it back? The more I think about this and the more I resist the direction my mind wants to go, the more I become more certain of the flaw in ‘Changeling’. Eastwood took a chance on Hilary Swank in ‘Million Dollar Baby’ and scored, despite the controversy over the second half. With ‘Changeling’ Eastwood takes a gamble on Angelina Jolie and doesn’t lose his shirt, but his winnings are skimpy. I didn’t realize at first, while fully engrossed in the story, that Jolie had such an effect on me, but as I neared the end of the film I realized it was her performance that was holding ‘Changeling’ back from its full potential. Jolie was not over-the-top and she wasn’t inadequate, but she sort of dodged the sweet zone the entire film. What I mean is that her performance managed to envelop every aspect of quality except the most crucial… authenticity. What I realized as I left the theater is that Jolie never sold me on the character. I never managed to buy into her performance fully. While subtle, it often felt forced and insincere. Granted, I’ll admit that a part of this was the realization that I had trouble getting past the fact that I was watching Angelina Jolie. I think she’s somewhat typecast herself into a quasi-pigeonhole of badass and/or sexy roles… of which she is neither in this film.

[rating:4/5]

Zac:

Clint Eastwood’s latest is a child abduction mystery that is a horse of many colors, and all are done very well, with a great turn by the lead Angelina Jolie, but something keeps the film back from being truly as great and powerful as some of his recent work.

In 1928 Christine Collins is a floor manager at the Pacific Bell switch board, rolling around on her skates taking care of unruly customers and making sure the lines stay up and open. She lives as a single mother with her son and they have an amazing relationship, taking Walter to school every morning on her way to work. One Saturday she is called into work to fill in for a missing worker, and she leaves Walter at home with a word to the neighbor to check on him in a coupe hours. When she gets home, Walter is gone, and a quick search of the surrounding area yields no results, which leads her to calling in a missing person report. After a few months pass, Christine receives word that her son is found and alive, and the police escort her to the train station to meet him upon his return. But when Christine sees him, she proclaims, “that’s not my son,” and it takes some quick words from, Capt. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) who is in charge of juvenile cases in the LAPD, to convince her to take him home for a trial run, since the boy might have changed in appearance due to her and his stress over the time he was gone; though Jones’ words don’t stick for long.

Also getting involved in the investigation is a Rev. Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich) who spends much of his time calling out Chief James E. Davis (Colm Feore) for his and his police departments corrupt acts all around the city, [Briegleb] attempting to bring public justice and reform to the LAPD. Also falling into play is a child deportation case that leads to much graver implications to everything in play.

Eastwood has crafted a very effective mystery here that moves from one storyline to another without getting jumbled up or dragging. He makes all threads compelling, slowly bringing them together, while simultaneously creating a beautiful recreation of the era to the screen along with some haunting visuals added in as well. Eastwood also does a fine job at lightening up the proceedings from time to time, which is necessary with this subject matter that can get grim and depressing, and he shows great range in taking us from a serious moment to making us smile, sometimes even in the midst of crisis. The movie is about two and a half hours long, but it never bores and constantly engages and that is thanks to the great cast Eastwood has going for him.

Angelina Jolie is great in this film. She is distraught over her loss, but holds her head up with strength and manages to work through her grief while never giving up hope. She also just commands a few scenes that really pin you to your seat at how powerful she can be; especially breaking out of her quiet shell that Christine is day to day. She also does some great work with the kids she works with, especially creating such a strong bond with Walter (Gattlin Griffith) in such a short amount of screen time the two have together. John Malkovich brings humor and courage to his role, and makes the most of his short amount of screen time. A straight forward guardian angel roll over Christine allows the viewer to easily get behind him and hoping he is able to help her along. Jason Butler Harner and Eddie Alderson also deserve praise for their work, as they both step up in creepy and unsettling roles later on in the film. Geoff Pierson also chews up and steals every scene he is in and has one of the most uplifting lines and moments in the film as a prosecuting attorney. Lastly, Amy Ryan also makes the most of her scenes, which I again, can’t really elaborate on without being a spoiler.

In the end, Changeling is a very effective period drama missing that magic bit that puts it with the elite. Full of suspense and drama, with just enough laughs when needed, it is expertly crafted by Eastwood and acted by Jolie, I just wish something would have clicked and made this amazing in my mind because it is a movie that you can complain very little about.

[rating: 4.25/5]

Ram Man:

I always love it when those magic five words show up on the screen before the movie gets rolling….”Based on a True Story”. This is the case with Clint Eastwood’s new film ‘The Changeling’. Eastwood has brought the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders to the big screen just in time to get Oscar voter’s attention. Clint has brought in  the star power of Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich  to help tell the story. ‘Changling’ morphs from a missing persons case into one of the most horrific cases in California’s history.

It’s 1928 in southern California. Prohibition is in full swing. The motto of the Los Angeles Police Dept. is more like “extort and murder” than “protect and serve”.   Christine Collins (Jolie) is an operator supervisor at the phone company. Christine is also a single mother of an 8 year boy, Walter (Gattlin Griffith).   Upon returning home after a 12 hour shift, Christine finds Walter is missing. She calls the police and is told that they will do nothing until the following day. Capt. JJ Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) is in charge of the adolescent division of the LAPD and is running the case of Walter Collins. A major break comes when a hobo abandons a boy in rural Illinois at a diner. the call comes in to Capt. Jones and he jumps to the conclusion, he is Walter Collins. He, Christine and the members of the press all meet the train carrying Walter. Only after one look, Christine announces that the boy is not Walter.

Instead of an apology or even an oops, Christine is told that she is stressed and time has passed and Walter has changed. Capt. Jones tells her to take the boy home, he has no where to go. just give him a try. This is a missing child not a pair of shoes! Christine takes the unknown boy home and soon discovers glaring differences (3″ shorter and this boy was circumcised) and brings them to Capt. Jones attention.   Again,   instead of cooperation, Christine is threatened by the police Capt. and told to go home “Walter was found.”

Enter Rev. Gustav Breigleb (Malkovich), an evangelist that conducts a nightly radio show from his church pulpit denouncing the atrocities of the police department in the city of angels. Breigleb joins Christine Collins in her search for Walter. Collins takes her case to the press after being turned away by the police again and again. This results in her incarceration in the state mental ward so that she cannot defame the police anymore. Only problem,  Breigleb has powerful friends and a very large congregation and frees Collins just before she has the shock of her life. This is when an anonymous tip comes into the police department about a Canadian boy in the country illegally up at a chicken ranch in Wineville. Soon everyone’s story begins to unfold from Capt. Jones and the police department to the mystery boy who is NOT Walter Collins when a Canadian boy tells the story of multiple murders conducted at his Uncle’s ranch. A missing child case morphs into a multiple murder case. The end of this film will have you doing your best imitation of Columbo trying to figure out what happened to Walter Collins.

Eastwood an established actor has now proven he’s a better director. He shows us what is a fascinating story of corruption, murder and personal strength. I was so interested i search the case just to see how close Clint was to the actual events and found he hit the bulls-eye! His casting of serial killer Gordon Northcutt (Jason Butler Harner) is a dead ringer for the real guy. As I stated before I am a big fan of a well done true crime drama and this won had me on the edge of my seat.   I’m sure we will hear Jolie, Eastwood and John Malkovich’s name nest year during the Academy Awards.   Don’t fear the running time for this one, 2 hours and 20 minutes, it flies by. Go see ‘The Changling” and let Clint Eastwood “Make Your Day” …again!

[rating:4.5/5]

Jeremy:

On March 10, 1928, 10-year-old Walter Collins went missing from his home in Pomona, California. Â  His mother, Christine Collins, was at her job as an operator supervisor. Â  Being a single-parent, Christine was forced to leave her son at home alone. Â  When she arrived that evening, her son was gone.

Three months later, the LAPD told Christine they had found her son. Â  She went to the train station to meet her missing child, but, once she saw the boy, she knew instantly that it was not her son. Â  Nonetheless, the LAPD insisted that the boy they had found was Walter Collins. Â  What transpired from there was both shocking and heartbreaking.

‘Changeling’, the new film directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the story of Christine Collins and her missing son. Â  But, as with most of Eastwood’s films, he doesn’t simply tell the story. Â  He encapsulates the events by more or less creating the world in which they took place. Â  The 1920s California Eastwood creates and the characters he depicts in ‘Changeling’ are very genuine. Â  He’s done the same with the westerns he has directed. Â  He did the same with the 1975 Boston setting of ‘Mystic River’. Â  The same can be said for the battle of Iwo Jima he depicted not once but twice.

Eastwood has this gift for telling stories that take place in another time and place altogether. Â  His Savannah, Georgia in ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’ was truly atmospheric. Â  The town of Big Whisky would not have looked nearly as authentic in ‘Unforgiven’ if it were not for his direction.

But the direction is not the only thing flawless in ‘Changeling’. Â  The story is so powerful that you don’t even realize how long-winded it really is. Â  It starts very quietly showing a few scenes of Christine interacting with her son.

It’s here that I should talk about Angelina Jolie, who plays Christine. Â  She is a fine actress. Â  You couldn’t accuse her in the least of having no range. Â  However, it seems that she hits this peak when she is trying to portray emotionality, particularly rage and anxiety. Â  She just begins screaming, and, instead of getting more and more moving, it just begins to grate on the nerves. Â  The scenes in ‘Changeling’ where she is hysterical are the only moments of the film that drag on.

And that is saying something about a film that runs nearly 2 1/2 hours long. Â  The reason the length of the film is never a factor is that the story never sits on any one element for a long period of time. Â  We are shown something, we understand its purpose, and we move onto the next thing. Â  There is so much story told in ‘Changeling’ that you are amazed at how it all could have even fit into a feature-length film. Â  Let me tell you, it does. Â  The editing is done by Eastwood regular Joel Cox and his assistant Gary Roach. Â  Roach’s only previous editing job on a feature film was ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’, and that, too, was a masterwork of an editing job. Â  If he would have worked on ‘Flags of Our Fathers’, that, too, would have been a great movie, but it’s not.

I digress.

‘Changeling’ is powerful and chilling, an incredible true-crime drama that never feels excessive or overdone. Â  It would be best for you to not read up too much about the film before seeing it. Â  The story of Christine’s son going missing, a boy returning to her, and that not being her son despite the LAPD claiming it is takes only about 30 minutes of screen time. Â  The story and what happens to Christine from there spirals out of control so quickly, you can’t believe it was based on a true story. Â  By the film’s end, you get a complete picture of what happened and why, even though there are still so many unanswered questions that really don’t matter. Â  They are meant to be unanswered, and that is where most of ‘Changeling’s mystery and grief comes from.

Besides Jolie, the film is loaded with grade-A actors. Â  John Malkovich is astonishing as a local reverend who is all about taking down the corrupt LAPD. Â  Jeffrey Donovan, fresh off his work on USA’s Burn Notice, is great as the head detective on Christine’s case. Â  He plays a villain very well, despite hiding at times behind an obviously fake, Irish accent. Â  Amy Ryan gives another resounding performance as a woman whom Christine meets on her journey. Â  As with ‘Gone Baby Gone’, Ryan disguises herself in her role and gives yet another Oscar nomination-worthy performance.

In the past 10-20 years, Eastwood has established himself as one of the best directors working today. Â  He hit a rought period in the late 90s with ‘Absolute Power’, ‘True Crime’, and ‘Space Cowboys’ that should probably be overlooked. Â  He’s hitting those years now and again where he has two very good films come out very close to one another. Â  ‘Gran Torino’ looks to be yet another powerful and dramatic feature.

With ‘Changeling’ he has once again created a brilliant depiction of another period in time. Â  The story he tells there is one of the most terrifying true stories told in recent memory. Â  It is a painful true story, but one that you will not regret witnessing.

[rating:4.25/5]

Overall: 4.25 Stars