Movie Review: Changeling

By Connect2Mason Reporter Emily Culley.

Set in early 1928, Angelina Jolie plays Christine Collins, a single mother, whose life completely unravels, when her 10-year-old son, Walter, goes missing in the new Clint Eastwood movie Changeling. The ever-corrupt LAPD tries to gloss over this case by bringing the Collins boy home as quickly as possible.

After a long five months, the LAPD finds who they believe is Walter home to Christine. Immediately Christine refuses to admit that this is her son. The LAPD convinces her to take the boy home, telling her that she is in shock and cannot handle the fact that they found her son.

Shortly after taking the boy home, Christine learns that he is circumcised, when Walter was not; that he is at least three to four inches shorter, there is not a gap in his teeth. The list goes on an on, all facts and logistics pointed in favor of Christine.

The LAPD, in an attempt to quickly take this case out of the headlines, sends Christine to the insane asylum on a “Code 12,” which as learned from the movie, was an infamous and overused code by the police to silence women who stood up against them.

What started out as a simple story of a single mother looking for her son, turns into the epic landmark moment in history for women. Throughout the story, Christine states over and over again that she did not intend to turn this into an investigation of the LAPD. She just wanted to get her son back.

Christine is aided by Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich). Briegleb is a Presbyterian minister and pastor of the St. Paul’s and Westlake Presbyterian churches in Los Angeles. Briegleb uses his radio show as a way to show the corruption within the LAPD. Upon hearing of Christine's case, he takes it upon himself to help her in any way possible, including finding one of the leading attorneys of the time to work on her case.

Admittedly, Eastwood could have cut about 30 to 40 minutes of the high drama movie and still have told the story well. Additionally, with so much going on in this case, it left me wondering why so much of the movie was directed towards Christine and her case, rather than all of the corruption that quickly unveiled.

Some of the “wow” factors within the case were drawn out and over analyzed; while other moments within the story were glossed over and slightly confusing. Overall, it was an enjoyable film. There was multiple times where the details of the story brought chills down my spine.

Grade: B-