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THE CHANGELING Send This Review to a Friend
A taut, shocking story enlivened by the impassioned performance given by Angelina Jolie in the lead role makes “The Changeling,” well-directed by Clint Eastwood to capture the late 1920s Los Angeles atmosphere, a strikingly entertaining and involving drama. It was a first-rate choice for showcasing at the 2008 New York Film Festival. The story, based on a real situation, is a two-pronged one that celebrates the courage of a woman who fights to establish the truth despite the cruel punishment to which she is vengefully subjected and that also exposes rampant corruption in the Los Angeles police department in that era.
The screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski recounts the sudden disappearance of a nine-year-old boy, Walter, and the frantic efforts of a single mother, telephone operator Christine Collins (Jolie), to find him. Lo and behold, finally she is given news that her son has been located and will be returned to her. Amid heightened coverage by the press, the reunion is arranged, but when the boy arrives by train, Collins says he is not her son. The police will not admit a mistake, especially Captain J. J. Jones, played menacingly by Jeffrey Donovan, and the boy taken for Walter has his own agenda.
Collins takes in the substitute lad under duress, but she pursues her effort to convince the authorities that it he is not her son. Captain Jones puts her through the wringer of retribution, including spiriting her into a mental facility, where it is revealed that so many other women have been routinely confined because they ran afoul of the corrupt police department. John Malkovich as a minister and community activist takes up the mother’s cause, as does a detective who defies his superiors, and the issue explodes publicly. Amy Ryan has an excellent, showy part as one of the inmates in the mental lockup where Collins is confined. The supporting cast has been well-chosen with respect to creating the overall atmosphere that gives the drama its sense of reality in time and place.
The tale becomes more and more bizarre with various twists and turns, including the horror of a serial killer, and perhaps it is drawn out excessively. But throughout there is the commanding screen presence of Jolie, full lips and all, and she makes her performance a tour de force that bids to establish her as an awards contender. It is a highly credible job that may disarm the skeptics. As for Eastwood, once again he has shown wisdom in his choice of material and demonstrated his ability to spin a tale with insight and strength. A Universal Pictures release.
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