Changeling

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.

5/10