Changeling Reviews

To be honest, I wasn't so sure what to expect from this flick. I mean, on one hand, it was very well received but, on the other hand, it pretty much sounded like your typical drama based on actual events about a mother looking for her missing son. Still, I expected it to be decent but, to be honest, it was even better than that. Indeed, it was still about a mother looking for her son but Eastwood went way beyond this theme and they ended up with a heartbreaking drama mixed up with a fascinating thriller. Concerning Angelina Jolie, to be honest, I wasn't so sure. I mean, she did a decent job, probably giving one of her best performances, but it was also rather distracting to have this huge star playing this woman because, in my opinion, even though the main character was indeed interesting, I think that what happened around her was even more spellbinding to watch. Eventually, the stars here were actually the very strong script and the expert directing by Eastwood. The same year, he also directed the terribly overrated 'Gran Torino' which would be remembered as the better feature but I think it is a mistake because this movie was easily his best directing effort to come out in 2008. To conclude, don't be fooled by the seemingly pedestrian plot, it is a spellbinding flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested by Clint Eastwood's work.

While relatively successful in terms of its emotional impact, Changeling flounders in its attempt to come across as a realistic story, in spite of the fact that it's based on actual events. Clint Eastwood's film surveys an issue that should have definitely helped this be an extremely compelling film (as most of Eastwood's movies are), but instead, we get an overlong motion picture that is every bit as effective as if someone stood in front of you and yelled "The LAPD was corrupt in the 1920s! Seriously, don't forget it - they were corrupt!" We are manipulated in nearly every scene, with every shot of characters' reactions to situations and with many a convenient plot contrivance (in these situations, I always wonder how much of the real story has actually been brought to the screen, and how much of the real story has been, well, Hollywood-ized).

I stated that, despite not coming across as a compelling story, the film succeeds in terms of emotional impact, and that is largely due to Angelina Jolie, who is in top form, as usual, never failing to easily convey the hardships that her Christine faces. Sadly, not much room is given for the supporting members of the cast (not even John Malkovich) to turn this into a good film solely on the basis of acting, so Jolie is essentially all alone in keeping this from complete mediocrity.

Many will derive satisfaction from the film's denouement, and while an effective conclusion is crucial to a film's success, in this case, it doesn't take away from the fact that Changeling definitely takes easy shortcuts to arrive at said conclusion, and it often feels too obvious and manipulative. Aside from getting the period details right and Jolie's turn as the lead, I can't find much here that makes it worth spending one's hard-earned cash and 2 hours and 20 minutes sitting in a theater. Eastwood has done much better.

I knew I was going to love Changeling because it seems very powerful and with said phenomenal performance and it is a Clint Eastwood film. This is the most powerful and emotional film of 2008 so far. In fact, it was so powerful and emotional I was literally blown away from it. I was almost crying when Christine was sent to the mental hospital. This film sends a very important message and that is that there are bad people in a business no matter what their profession is. This is a film that alot of parents who have had their children missing could like. Also, it can teach parents particularly single ones what can happen if one is too trusting with someone in which Christine was. I think this is probably one of the most powerful films of the decade and of all time.


Angelina Jolie has been in some crap in the past including a few Razzie nominations and wins but her performance as Christine Collins was absolutely outstanding which made it seem like another breakthrough performance. It is the best performance of her career. Her Oscar winning performance in Girl, Interrupted probably isn't better than Changeling. Angelina bought together a character that is mixed with reality because when the police 'find' her son, she is almost immediately convinced that the boy isn't her son and because she is refusing to accept that her son has been found, the police cruelly put her in a mental house. I bet it must have been hard for her because nobody believed her and especially being sent into a mental home sane and innocent. Angelina makes Christine her own character because of her powerful determination to the character. As far as not understanding why she is in a mental institution, Christine's character is quite similar to Josh Nash in A Beautiful Mind apart from he is mentally ill and she isn't. John Malkovich was really good as Rev. Gustav Briegleb but I preferred his performance in Burn After Reading. Briegleb is his second most powerful character after playing himself in Being John Malkovich.


Clint Eastwood directs this film like no other director could ever have done. He has made Changeling a truly amazing and powerful masterpiece. To me, this is THE perfect Clint Eastwood (as director) film which is why I would call Changeling his best film. The script made Clint Eastwood's reputation as director of this film even better.


It was powerful, emotional and quite thrilling too. This is the third best Clint Eastwood film after Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. This is also Angelina Jolie's best role too. Please bring us masterful performances, Angelina, instead of being part of some shit. Changeling is a masterpiece that most people would remember as a film with a lot of true and powerful messages. This is one of my top drama films, one of the top of 2008, one of the best music scores and one of the best true story films too. I recommend it to every single living person on Earth which shows how much I love Changeling.

Changeling is a ponderous thriller about a lot of themes. It covers abduction, loneliness and the historical fact that the police really sucked back in the day. The film has a quiet, subtle tone to it that it carries throughout. No matter how horrendous the crimes we see committed, Changeling seems to distance itself from the events and make us look at them from afar. It's never sensationalistic or "epic". It's just a long and sturdy tale about the rights and wrongs people happen to make. Angelina Jolie literally shines as the star of this cruel play, and perhaps makes a performance of a lifetime. The subplots always support the theme and work very well structurally, and Eastwood directs it very solidly. That's why it comes with such sadness when I announce that this film doesn't really have anything new to say. It provides us with nothing new aside from technical expertise. It has not one original bone in it's body. It's a very enjoyable, emotional humane drama, but often feels more like an homage to the genre it represents rather than an original film of that specific genre. This is a flaw, as a film this majestically composed deserves a script that explores these themes deeper and more psychologically. As it is a lot of the events in the movie are left very shallow and superficial. We never really get any in-depth exploration of emotion or behaviour. We just get a very well narrated story. It's a joy to behold, but leaves you empty within.

"The boy they brought back is not my son."

An ambitious historical drama helmed by the legendary Clint Eastwood, Changeling is without a doubt one of the best pictures of 2008; a thoroughly engrossing, powerful film able to entertain as much as it provokes. Eastwood's latest masterwork is based on a true story, and it chronicles the appalling events surrounding the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders that occurred between 1928 and 1930. It must be stressed that this feature isn't just a simplistic story of a mother's heroic quest for truth... Beneath its exterior, it's an excellent exposé of crime and corruption during the early 20th Century. Changeling is the first of Clint Eastwood's two 2008 productions (the brilliant Gran Torino being the other), and it is a mature, mesmerising saga made far more compelling by the director's masterful handling of the material. Eastwood has employed the same sparse, unadorned yet exceedingly watchable filmmaking style throughout his several decades as a director, and this style is prominent here. His films rarely drag as well - they're lean and efficient; rarely wasting energy or becoming bogged down in sentimentality. Considering the subject matter, Changeling could've been created as a maudlin, melodramatic mess with exaggerated performances and telegraphed emotion. Under Eastwood's direction, however, it is none of those things. Changeling is unforgettable... It's unforgettable for its extraordinary story, for the cinematography of ethereal beauty, for the haunting performances and for Eastwood's stylistic directorial style. But most of all, Changeling is unforgettable for its sheer impact. This is a devastating and touching story which has been beautifully told by a filmmaker who remains at the top of his game.

The story commences in 1928 Los Angeles. Hard-working single mother Christine Collins (Jolie) returns home from an impromptu shift at work to discover that her 9-year-old son Walter (Griffith) has mysteriously vanished. Five months after Walter's unexplained disappearance, the LAPD - anxious to get some good publicity to help their tarnished image - insists they've found Christine's son. Delight soon turns into horror, however, when Christine lays eyes on the young boy the police have found and instantly realises it's not her child. But the LAPD, worried about further bad press, arrogantly refuse to admit their mistake. As she questions the tactics of the police on an escalating scale of hysteria, the LAPD attempt to silence Christine through iniquitous methods and begin using the press to discredit her claims. But when a campaigning clergyman named Reverend Gustav Briegleb (Malkovich) comes to Christine's aid, the whole rotten system of lying officialdom is tackled and they begin to expose the LAPD's epic web of deception. As the mystery of her missing son deepens, Christine is forced to face an awful possibility about what might have actually happened to Walter...

During 2008, Eastwood turned 78 and still shows no sign of stopping. Most people in any trade retire at 65, but Clint was merely warming up; going on to produce some of the finest work of his directorial career (Oscar-winning films like Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River and Letters From Iwo Jima). The esteemed actor-director has effortlessly segued into a no-nonsense, old-fashioned filmmaker in the mould of John Ford, Sergio Leone, and (his mentor) Don Siegel.
For Changeling, Eastwood allows the events to unfold slowly and quietly without resorting to the over-the-top performances or a roaring soundtrack a lesser director would have employed to highlight the drama - Eastwood recognises that this tale requires no exaggeration. Put simply, Eastwood is the best classical filmmaker working in contemporary Hollywood: his pictures are never flashy or gimmicky, as he recognises these as distractions from his primary job, which is to pay service and respect to a story. However, the man is not a simplistic filmmaker either. Here, Eastwood has crafted a motion picture that moves with ease and grace from potent drama to dark thriller to a tale of corruption echoing such films L.A. Confidential and Chinatown. The ability to work on various levels and shift gears with such skill comes from years of practise...Changeling represents another career high point of one of this generation's finest directors.

Historical relevance notwithstanding, Changeling emerges as a contemporary morality tale as well. After all, Walter is abducted when Christine agrees to work on her day off (a day that she promised she would spend with Walter). By agreeing to work, Christine not only chooses her job over spending time with her son, but she also breaks a promise. The consequence of this decision is that she loses her young boy forever. The film is possibly making a statement regarding single mothers, as well as reasserting that nothing is more important than family and moments spent away from children are moments lost forever.

"I used to tell Walter, "Never start a fight...but always finish it." I didn't start this fight... but by God, I'm going to finish it."

No original book or magazine article exists detailing the Christine Collins case. Screenwriter (and former journalist) J. Michael Straczynski had to conduct meticulous research, developing the story using newspaper files and old records (from city hall, the courthouse, and the city morgue). The extraordinary story of Changeling starts as a flapper Erin Brockovich before turning into Silence of the Lambs by way of L.A. Confidential. Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say. The fact that Eastwood's flick manages to morph from one genre to another is a measure of how truly unusual the story is. It can certainly keep an audience off balance...there are a lot of surprises. Admittedly, Changeling boasts a story far better than the screenplay, as Straczynski's inexperience as a feature film writer is occasionally evident. The one fault of the script is simple: the dialogue sounds a tad too contemporary from time to time. The period detail mixed with this modern-ish dialogue can be very jarring. Dialogue aside, though, Changeling is pervaded with an immense emotional weight that consistently feels earned and sincere as opposed to cloyingly manipulative.

The most striking element of Changeling is the look of the film. With top-shelf production values and excellent visual effects, Eastwood's feature is imbued with an evocative mood of Depression-era L.A. without missing a beat. The digital recreations of 1920's Los Angeles are marvellous, and there are moments when it looks as if Eastwood managed to get his cast and crew into a time machine. Every cent of the $55 million budget (estimated) is used sparingly and put to great use. Tom Stern (Eastwood's expert cinematographer since 2002's Blood Work) paints a muted palette of dehydrated colours reminiscent of the 1920s, punctuated with subtle splashes of colour (like Jolie's red lips) as beacons of hope.
Not only does the aging Eastwood direct his pictures, but he also produces and carries out several additional duties (hence the astounding low-budget nature of his films). Changeling has been beautifully scored by the director himself with lilting pianos and blustery strings. This sweetly melancholic music subtly comforts our souls.
If there's one thing to savour about Changeling, it's the graceful way it transports the audience, taking them back in time to this famous era with traditional Eastwood ease. The 140-minute runtime (approximately) may seem daunting, but it never really seems that long. All pieces of the puzzle merge together, forming a remarkable motion picture which rarely feels its tremendous length.

Clint Eastwood has the ability to coax the best from his actors. Changeling is propelled by an array of wonderful performances, headed by Angelina Jolie whose shattering portrayal of Christine Collins was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award. Choosing to underplay her character's rage and sadness, the actress escapes into her role, painting Christine as a determined woman whose sombre and steadfast nature in the wake of her son's disappearance occasionally gives way to an incendiary temper... Jolie brings every ounce of motherly love and anguish to this part. Appearing in most scenes and carrying the emotional weight of the entire picture, Jolie gives one of the most nuanced performances of her entire career.
There is scarcely a bad performance in the entire film. Jeffrey Donovan is arrogantly loathsome and slimy yet entirely credible as Captain Jones, who seems bereft of humanity as he tries to defend the inexcusable behaviour of the LAPD in unacceptable ways. Playing his superior with gusto, Colm Feore's Chief Davis is equally adamant to push the dirt under the rug without any regard for justice or for Christine. Also first-rate and suitably hateful are the actors portraying the unscrupulous doctors supportive of the corrupt cops - Denis O'Hare as the psychiatric hospital's nasty head doctor, as well as Peter Gerety and John Harrington Bland. Michael Kelly is an especially memorable addition to the cast playing the detective who investigates the dreadful Wineville Chicken Coop Murders. As the psychotic Gordon Stewart Northcott who executed these murders, Jason Butler Harner is exceptional. The moderately unknown actor paints one of the most skin-crawling portraits of pure evil in recent cinematic memory.
John Malkovich is a particular standout as the crusading clergyman who uses Christine's plight to further his own agenda. He's understated and terrific, bringing considerable authority to his character of Reverend Briegleb who's armed with a radio station microphone and rants against the corrupt cops of Los Angeles.

Changeling is one of 2008's best movies. What begins as a simple mystery-thriller soon takes a number of devastating twists and turns, bordering on noir before dipping into dark, bloody horror, and culminating in a courtroom drama for the well-paced and tense climax. Changeling travels to dark places, with scenes and circumstances that will haunt you long after the credits expire. It's not exactly an easy movie to watch, but it's very classy and it adroitly avoids exploitation for the sake of drama. The muted colours, the simple but effective period design and the plot-driven editing grab our attention and emotions with a firm grip as Eastwood tells this elegant story. Changeling is visually sumptuous as well; both its cinematography and art direction were justly nominated for Academy Awards. As long as Clint Eastwood continues to make new movies, this reviewer will continue to pay to watch them. This is a gorgeous, underrated masterpiece and a perfect example of fine art...how the Academy overlooked this tour de force for Best Picture is simply beyond me.

9.5/10

Los Angeles, março de 1928. Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) é uma mãe que tem seu filho desaparecido. Quando a polícia anuncia que seu filho foi achado, ela anuncia que a criança não é o seu herdeiro de sangue. É nisso que se baseia "A Troca", filme do ator e diretor Clint Eastwood.

Clint Eastwood, como diretor, sempre foi correto. Ao contrário da grande maioria, eu não achei "Menina de Ouro" um filme espetacular, mas sim "Sobre Meninos e Lobos". Este sim é um longa excepcional, um dos melhores do ano. Agora com "A Troca", Clint nos mostra um longa com carga dramática pesada que, volta e meia, deixa a desejar.

O que mais atrai e enche os olhos em "A Troca" é, sem sombra de dúvida, a atuação mais que competente e convincente de Angelina Jolie. Jolie que sabe chorar, mas também expressar a dor e resignação de Christine no silêncio. Qualquer prêmio que Angelina Jolie ganhar por sua contribuição para "A Troca" é mais que merecido.

Outro grande atrativo do filme é a parte técnica. A ótima fotografia cria uma L.A. em tons pastéis que lembram “Chinatown”. Fotografia esta que entrega cenas belíssimas. A cena em que ela mede a altura do seu 'falso filho', em que a metade de seu rosto fica completamente escuro, é sublime. No entanto, a trilha sonora fraca e pouco envolvente faz "A Troca" perder todo seu charme como filme dos anos 20/30.

Apesar de alguns erros de narrativa, Clint Eastwood nos entrega um bom filme que prova que ele é quem é porque merece. E prova também que Angelina Jolie, junto de sua beleza hipnótica, é uma das melhores atrizes de hoje e, indiscutivelmente, o que há de melhor em "A Troca".

''I used to tell Walter, "Never start a fight... but always finish it." I didn't start this fight... but by God, I'm going to finish it.''

Inspired by actual events that occurred in 1920s-era Los Angeles, Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" tells the story of a woman driven to confront a corrupted LAPD after her abducted son is retrieved and she begins to suspect that the boy returned to her is not the same boy she gave birth to.

Angelina Jolie: Christine Collins

Let's begin by saying that Changeling is a film that ambitiously strives and sets out upon a vast journey, delivering a powerful insight and a story from the not so distant past. What I came out with, with Changeling matched my expectations and literally blew them apart, with perfect cinematography, a perfect score, cast and Director Clint Eastwood shows his best film to date. Not only has he captured the era of the 1920s onwards, not only has he created a timeless emotionally charged account of one woman's struggle with evil and corruption but he's set about getting the ball rolling for some cataclysmic standards set for the films of 2008.



Right from the starting title you just know that Changeling is going to take your breath away and thats just the beginning. It's been a while since I've seen a film which can effect and dazzle all your emotions, I cried, I got goosebumps, I squirmed and shuddered at events transpiring. Changeling hits the nail on the head and shows us a society and it's Police with something sadly missing. What shocked me was Clint's effort to capture this, and succeed in making it relevant to today's modern world. In that sense I mean alot of the problems addressed in this film about certain aspects mirror what happens in current affairs in the US and other Countries even today. Corruption and politics are an omni-present factor of civilization.

Changeling gives us a woman who loses her boy, which is just the tip of the ice berg, it proceeds to punch it's way through our minds, like a jabbing jolt of lightning between the eyes, to show the Police, not only apparently finding her son but giving her back an imposter. We then get the Police force unable to admit making a mistake, never in the wrong and when they get a problem they magically wave their magic wand and make it go away.
There's a million things running through my head about Changeling it's hard to grasp all of them in this review, Clint Eastwood does a masterful job of blending music and visuals together equaling the times. To me this is the 1920s, theres no question about it, whether it be the costumes or cast, everything is perfect.

''Fuck you and the horse you rode on.''

The performances in Changeling are the kind of quality you come to expect from an Eastwood film. Unrivaled, unrelenting, and virtually impossible to criticize.
The leading lady, Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins, really shows Changeling IS without a doubt Angelina Jolie's best film. There is no shred of doubt in my mind that Jolie will win Best Actress at the next Oscar ceremony. Her disposition and poise the epiphany of perfection, so much so that I could sing my praises of her in this triumph all day long. One look that she gives in Changeling conveys more than any mere words could hope to achieve. Angelina practically embodies the role of Christine and moulds a fully breathing character, fully believable, fragile, victimized, a crazed mother desperately trying to get her son back.
Her appearance is flawless as is her pale complexion emphasizing her Red ruby lips. Everything about her echoes Clint's vision of how a woman should dress in this golden age.
The supporting cast were phenomenal, Jeffrey Donovan as Captain J.J. Jones was highly successful in being one of those characters you love to hate.
John Malkovich as Reverend Gustav Briegleb, was an absolute emotionally charged ally of Collins in her search. Criticizing the Police and the State for their sloppy and brutal policies of shoot first ask questions later. The fact they just want problems to go away not to be resolved really shows the people of the Law being above the Law, Gustav addresses these inadequacies of the Department well.
Devon Conti plays the boy who the Police bring back to Christine, he plays the part well. Enigmatic and weird in his ulterior motives, his scenes with Angelina are furiously charged in a blaze of a cuckoo bird scenario where an imposter young-ling takes his place in the nest. The same principle is applied here with startling results.

Capt. J.J. Jones: Mrs. Collins, your son was missing for five months, for at least part of that time in the company of an unidentified drifter. Who knows what such a disturbed individual might have done. He could have had him circumcised. He could have...
Christine Collins: ...made him shorter?

Changeling features one of the most horrendous twists and impending conclusions in the middle segments committed to any work of 2008. What transpires and happens is mind blowing, to the stage where I was starting to cry from the shock of it. It shows how a system which is flawed cannot cover up it's tracks forever, justice can take alot of time to prevail. The Lawyer defending Collins and Captain Jones questioning in court has to be one of the most engaging scenes I've seen in a while, not to mention Collins emotionally screaming at a villain and being subjected to barbaric methods in a mental institute. There is alot to offer here and alot to admire in the level of film making, the level being the very highest quality available.

Overall Changeling is a very powerful piece, resulting in one clear defining notion and answer, an answer and shining example of untarnished, unresolved defiance of a lady who never gave up and who's love for a son came first before anything. Changeling is without a doubt a passionate, human, story of timeless truth, of hope.

Christine Collins:But one thing I know is that boy gave me something I didn't have before.
Detective Lester Ybarra: What's that?
Christine Collins: Hope.