Rated R
*** out of ****
(54% Fresh Rating!)
Mikey @ The Movies Official Rating:
***** out of *****
The Premise:
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.
MY REVIEW
Personally I have to say Changeling is in the top three, maybe two of the best films of 2008. You know I have said time in and time out that I love a good period piece film. If a movie takes place in the 20's or 30's, I'll almost surely be there to see it. Director Clint Eastwood uncovered a remarkable true story from the 20's of a woman who's son goes missing and five months later a boy is returned to her that she is convinced is not her son. The LAPD denies this woman her rights to question them and at a point, they throw her in a mental institution, all because they are unable to admit they made a grave mistake.
I have read up on the actual case, and according to the stories I read the film was almost one hundred percent accurate. The bigger, more publicized case was the Wineville Chicken Coop murders. Where Gordon Northcott tortured and killed up to 20 young boys on his chicken farm. Of the supposed boys was Walter Collins (the boy the movie portrays). There were a few details left out, some bigger than others, but the point is this story was brought to us just like it happened in the 20's.
Eastwood did a brilliant job at bringing this time era to life. A lot of movies like this will focus a lot on the fancy sets and costumes, delibertatley trying to wow us. What Eastwood did was wow us with the story and the characters. The 1920's setting literally just became a part of the story. I felt incredibly immersed in this story and time frame that I thought I was watching it unfold for real. Not a lot of movies can truly capture a moment in history like this one did. Undiscovered history at that. Not a lot of movies can captivate an audience like this film did for me.
I don't know if I went through this many emotions in a movie this year. This movie truly tugs away at your heart. It made me feel so sad at times. The story takes us to such a real life level, and when we see the story unfold about the chicken coop murders, it just makes your heart sink. I felt almost traumatized after watching certain events come out in the story. At the same time I felt incredible anger towards certain characters, namely from the police force. They were so frustrating to watch. You really just hate them. And the little boy who claims to be the real Walter Collins, sometimes you want to ring his neck, but than at times I felt really bad for the kid. What I'm saying basically, is that this movie captures real life emotions these characters felt and puts them on us very effectively. Mothers I'm sure feel this woman's pain and suffering when watching the movie.
Oscar winner Angelina Jolie (Girl, Interupted, Wanted) was absolutely brilliant and delivered a haunting performance as the distraught mother. She may make some mistakes in her movie choices, but when she picks the right story, she really picks it. This woman can act, and from time to time she really proves it. Her performance gave me chills. There were two scenes specifically that blew me away. Freaking fantastic performance and she at the very least deserves an Oscar nomination. No doubt! Oscar nominee John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, Places in the Heart) was amazing as well as the preist who has a personal vendetta against the LAPD. These two worked well together. As much as I hated the characters played by Colm Feore and Jeffrey Donovan, the really did turn in some pretty solid work. And the kids! Oh man, they were great! This was a really awesome cast!
Changeling is a must see film of 2008 in this reviewers opinion. The movie is beautifully shot in every single aspect a film can be shot. I mean a perfectly crafted film. It is one of the only movies of the year to captivate me personally and make me go through a range of emotions like this. No doubt in my mind, this movie will stick in my little noggin for quite some time. That's how effective and brilliant it really is to me. Easily one of the finest and best films of this wonderful year!
**To discuss this film and my review, please go to my message board by clicking this link: Review Talk
To view this film's theatrical trailer, click this link: Changeling*This is the 142nd new film I've seen and reviewed this year.
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