The script, penned by TV screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (The Twilight Zone, Babylon 5), encompasses many elements which all merge together rather exquisitely. First of all the task of taking on such a tragic story is a tough one on its own and he makes it into something not only that we can empathize with but also he makes us feel part of the film’s world. It’s set in the late 1920s and the film does a magnificent job of capturing of that time period. Everything from the period garb to the surrounding buildings and cars are all so authentic that at times you forget you’re watching a movie that’s been made in the 21st century and not an actual movie from back then.
The film not only has this harrowing story for its basis but it takes us to places we couldn’t have imagined at the outset. Not to give too much away, but it starts off like LA Confidential and ends up more like The Silence of the Lambs. The cinematography (by Tom Stern, who photographed such movies as American Beauty, Road To Perdition, and Eastwood’s own Unforgiven), even when some pretty grizzly things are taking place on screen, is absolutely gorgeous and this again makes us feel part of early 20th century Los Angeles.
People often forget just how good an actress Angelina Jolie really is. Her acting talent gets unjustly overlooked in lieu of her celebrity status. Let’s not forget this is an Oscar-winning actress who puts in top-notch performances when she picks the right roles (see Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart — she was amazing in that). And she’s also brilliant here, giving arguably her best performance to date and one which should easily nab her at least a nomination once Oscar season rolls around again. She’s very much the focus here (although it does stray from her story somewhat during the last quarter) and with the exception here of a very good John Malkovich, she’s untouchable as far as her performance goes.
Article comments
1 - Jack
I don't agree the film has too many - or even any - side plots. All the story strands relate ultimately to the main one - Christine's quest to find out what happened to her son. And a minor correction if I may. Jack Green was the cinematographer who shot Unforgiven, not Tom Stern. Otherwise an excellent review.
One thing that most impressed me about Changeling was how well Eastwood's film kept my attention. From an editing perspective it's a top notch piece of work. There weren't any saggy moments or scenes that felt as though they could have been trimmed, which, in a two hour & 21 minute movie was quite something.
Aside from anything else Changeling struck me as a potent reminder of the sheer pleasure to be had from watching the proverbial good story well told. I found its themes & concerns - particularly the way a mother is blamed for her child's welfare by incompetent/corrupt authority figures - deeply & troublingly resonant. It seems to me that no other living American director can match Eastwood right now. The man is simply in a class of his own.
2 - Wendy
Such a nice review! This movie wasn't perfect, indeed it was quite flawed in many aspects, but there was something about it that left me breathless by the time the credits started rolling. And I'm not easily impressed! This was a trademark Clint Eastwood film, but I felt it was very different from his other works such as Million Dollar Baby. For once, I had no problem with Angelina Jolie's acting - so powerful yet understated - although her character was too saintly for my taste. Finally, Hollywood did something right!
Above all, it was the story that had the biggest impact on me, and I hope I can find a movie or book as good as Changeling. As soon I finished watching the movie in the theater, I rushed home to look up the real story. It's truly devastating.
If you’re a fan of the movie Changeling and want to know the backstory of Sanford Clark and Gordon Northcott, I just learned that writer Anthony Flacco has a publishing deal with Sterling for The Road Out of Hell: Sanford Clark and the True Story of the Wineville Murders. It’s being described as a psychological thriller written in cooperation with the adult living son of Sanford Clark. The book, I’m told, will be out in Fall ’09.