Review of Changeling (2008) by James R — 13 Sep 2010
Well....Clint fires out another depressing movie. Just when you thought that Million Dollar Baby was going to be the all time depressive highlight of his career he brings out Changeling. It follows Christine Collins (Jolie) and her quest to get her son back after he is kidnapped.
The film is based on real events that occurred in LA in 1928 - 1933, though some crucial parts of the story have been omitted to make the story flow, and to make it more dramatic. Jolie gives a good performance as the wailing mother but at 2 hours 20 minutes, this film is waaaaay too long to sustain the level of dramatic emotionality that it tries to create.
It seems that Eastwood wasn't sure when to end the story either, with a Return of the King style splutter to a final finish almost 20 minutes after the main bulk of the story is done. Where Eastwood falls down on brevity though, he excels in creating the real world and has really captured the feel of the 1920's setting.
There are some brilliant performances by younger members of the cast and some genuinely disturbing scenes with the hanging scene being one of the most graphic and uncomfortable scenes I have ever sat through.
Eastwood has done a good job of bringing this story to life - and even though some liberties have been taken with real life events; I still found it all the more gripping to know that these were real people, in real situations.
Depressing, but still worth a watch.
This review of Changeling (2008) was written by James R on 13 Sep 2010.
Changeling has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
