I'm a little surprised by all of the luke-warm reviews for CHANGELING, the latest Clint Eastwood film and the first of two for the year from a director who should, in theory, be enjoying retirement but is instead, and for the second time in three years, pulling double duty during the award season.
I could go off on a tangent about how Eastwood has become one of my all-time favorite directors and how I haven't seen a clunker from him in a solid decade, but that would be time diverted from conversation about this particular film, which eschews Eastwood's recent trend towards modern, urban landscapes in favor of a meticulously-recreated period piece.
Based on a true story, CHANGELING stars a spectacular and award-worthy Angelina Jolie as a mother who's son is missing when she comes home from work. The police, ultimately in an effort to cover up a bungled search operation, return to her a boy that she knows is not her real son. Desperate to repair an all-but-shattered public image due to unruly corruption, the police use the mother as a pawn and have her institutionalized for being crazy. Needless to say, the film chronicles her journey to proving that she's not while, at the same time, pursuing the truth of what really happened and, ultimately, bringing closure to this shocking cover-up.
One thing I can tell you for sure about CHANGELING is that I have never felt such rage as I did in the movie theatre while watching this film. I literally sat with my fists clenched, irate at the mistreatment of this woman, aghast and in awe of what she went through.
Eastwood's film is long and slow and tormenting and beautiful. And it's right up there with the other stellar films he's made in recent years.
4.0 out of 4
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
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