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Great cast makes a fabulous movie in ‘Changeling'

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Director Clint Eastwood truly can make a film. He has a gift for capturing the essence of his characters, the time frame and the themes of the tales he tells. His “Million Dollar Baby” impressed everyone. Now he brings us “Changeling,” starring Angelina Jolie, the incredible tale of mystery, murder and police corruption in 1920s Los Angeles, based on a true story. The two-hour, 20-minute running time flew by - I was so caught up in the story of single mother Christine Collins and the injustice bestowed upon her that I sat mesmerized and entranced for the whole of it.

In 1928, Collins (Jolie), a switchboard supervisor and single mother, returns home one afternoon to find her 9-year-old son Walter (Gattlin Griffith) missing. The LAPD, notorious at the time for its racketeering and for literally shooting down citizens with impunity, drags its feet for four months while public indignation angrily ignites, fanned by a fiery radio minister named Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich). After five months and quite out of the blue, the captain in charge of the case, a crass and unsavory chap named J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan), announces that Walter has been found in DeKalb, Ill. The boy, really Arthur Hutchins (Devon Conti), is brought back to Los Angeles, but as soon as he steps down off the train, looking a bit devious and cunning, Collins realizes that he is not her lost son. Unnamed “experts,” however, she is told, have determined that he is indeed Walter Collins and that she (his own mother) must be mistaken. They tell her the physical transformation - a four-inch height difference and circumcision - is due to trauma and time passage. Jones, playing on Christine's weaknesses, derisively tells her to take the boy home and “try him out for a couple of weeks.” In shock and feeling the eyes of the boy and the public watching, she agrees, but soon is fighting against corruption to prove the boy is not hers and trying to convince the police to keep looking for her son.

Her protests, backed by Briegleb, land her in an insane asylum on a “Code 12” - basically a means for the police to rid the world of troublemakers, particularly women, whom they need shut up. In the asylum, “patients” are subjected to drug and shock therapy until they finally lose who they are or completely give in. Collins will do neither.

Jolie, whom I love and know can act, remarkably transforms herself in this. She overcomes her reputation, her fame and her overwhelming beauty to portray Collins, not as a woman looking to go up against a corrupt system, but as a mother who simply, stubbornly will not back down in the search for her lost child. To be certain, Collins, as offered by Jolie, is beautiful, but she cries, her makeup running and face marked with stress; she visibly crumbles under the weight of the situation but never stops fighting for what she knows is right. Jolie is Christine Collins, and her job is made easier by the exceptional sets and costumes.

Eastwood masterfully transports the audience to a time when women were second-class citizens and corruption seemed almost acceptable. Every minute detail in the sets, props, costuming, makeup and hairstyles reflects the late 1920s. Perfection and beauty! Even the darker, gritty scenes pop vividly from the screen and capture the elements of each event - the missing child, the mistaken child, the horrific murders, the terrifying asylum. I found almost as much pleasure in seeing the details - cars, buildings, fashions and specific characteristics of the era - as I did in seeing the events of Collins' life unfold.

Malkovich plays Briegleb with passion and reverence and Donovan (seen on TNT's series “Burn Notice”) truly is detestable as the heartless police captain - a worthy nemesis for Briegleb and Collins. Kudos must be given to Jason Butler Harner, who plays Gordon Northcott with a slimy, sinister edge that frankly made my skin crawl. Still, it is Jolie's acting and Eastwood's direction that make this film. Collins' story warrants our attention and I am surprised it has taken 80 years for someone to tell it. Harboring all the elements of an exceptional crime thriller, Collins' tale is the type that entrances me - like “CSI” or “Forensic Files.” I love a good mystery, especially one based on true events.

Rated R for violence and some extremely unsettling scenes, “Changeling” is a masterpiece in cinema. I enjoy the genre, the leap back in time, the talent and the tale. For me it earns an A. I am sure it will show up at Oscar time and I will have it in my year-end top 10. As I understand it, it seems to be a film that is splitting opinions - love it or hate it. I am a lover!

For a chance to win passes for two to see Quantum of Solace, Bolt, and Transporter 3, visit Laurie Coker's movie review website at www.trueviewreviews.net.

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