Synopsis:
A mother's prayer for her kidnapped son to
return home is answered, though it doesn't take
long for her to suspect the boy who comes back
is not hers.
Brian's Rating:
A- : Clint Eastwood continues to make good
movies, quickly getting to the point where I
will instantly see anything he puts out. Flags
of our Fathers was mediocre, but he also has
Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Million
Dollar Baby on his recent list of gems.
Angelina Jolie has the lead role in this film
that is a little out of her normal role. She is
neither bad-ass, nor sexy in this film, and
instead plays a mostly helpless mother who lacks
confidence. She is distraught for most of the
film, and always on the verge of tears. She
does the role well enough, but I would not put
her in a best actress running for it.
Once again, as in the other Eastwood films of
late, the real star of the movie is in how it
was directed. The film is streamed together
nicely, and the central story is right there in
front of you. Easy to follow and captivating.
I would not say that Eastwood uses any
particularly breathtaking shots in his style,
but he really knows how to piece together a
series of scenes that make sense as a whole.
The movie is also a little disturbing. Its not
like anything new slaps you in the face, but it
was successful in leaving a little bit of
uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. Child
abduction is not a new plot mechanic by any
means, but it was done well enough to illicit an
emotional response from most people as if it was
new.
Jen's
Rating: B : I love true stories. It makes
the entire movie much more interesting because
these events actually happened! There were a
few flaws in the movie that Scott and I were
talking about on our way home. One was that the
character development of the little boy was poor
and I would have to agree. Although the movie
was long, I think it would've been more powerful
if we had seen more of the boy and his
relationship with his mom at the beginning.
Despite that, I was entertained the entire movie
because you were constantly wondering if she'd
find her son. I didn't even mind that it was a
long movie. The end is what people have a
problem with. I of course wish that it would've
been even longer and that there would've been
closure there but again it's a true story! And
like she said, she finally had hope. I would
definitely recommend this movie but I don't
think it's something you need to watch over and
over.
The Freak's
Rating: C+ : Clint Eastwood does have his
mark on this one. Mystic River is the film
most similar to The Changeling in many ways.
Characters are interesting, albeit
underdeveloped in some ways. Performances
are stellar by nearly all involved. The
story is engrossing, though depressing.
Many similarities, but not nearly as good a film
in my opinion.
Angelina Jolie is wonderful in this role and
will likely receive a nod from the Academy.
She can be sultry and sexy in Wanted,
then pull out a heartbreaking performance as a
mother of a child lost here. John
Malkovich has a great turn as a reverend turned
savior determined to rescue Jolie from police
persecution. The police force is portrayed
brilliantly by all involved, including Michael
Kelly and the wonderful Jeffrey Donovan as Capt
J.J. Jones. Jason Butler Harner has a nice
semi-breakthrough performance as Gordon
Northcott as well. So the film fires
perfectly for acting, but for me that isn't
enough.
SPOILER:
Historical accuracy is there...somewhat.
The true story of Northcott is ten times as
frightening as the movie shows it.
Northcott, along with his mother, kidnapped
young boys and took them to their ranch.
They rented the young boys to pedophiles for a
time period. When the boys weren't
"useful" any longer, they were disposed of.
Northcott's mother was sentenced to life in
prison. She was the person who actually
confessed to the murder of Walter Collins.
Northcott's last moments near the gallows are
chronicled exactly as they occurred
historically. That was one creepy scene.
So historical accuracy could have been much
better in the film and would have only made it
better.
The most enormous hole in the story is the sense
of intimacy between mother and child. With
only a couple scenes between Jolie's character
and her son, intimacy is never established.
The scenes are quite cold, so when the child
disappears there is no true sense of loss
conveyed to the audience as it has been done in
other films telling a similar story. This
to me is a horrendous oversight by the
production team of the film. Without that
relationship, we don't care about the child near
as much as we should. You could have made
up for scattering a few flashbacks with the
child/mother relationship or showing more of
what actually happened to the child during his
abduction. Instead you are left with
little of a feeling for the actual loss of the
child. The fact that people are still
moved emotionally by the loss says wonders about
Jolie's ability to convey the significance of it
in her character.
Overall the film is done well, but this is far
from Eastwood's best work and is definitely not
a film I'd see again. Depressing isn't a
strong enough word for how you feel after this
one.
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