Changling: Great, Old Fashioned Movie

I've never been a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, the director. I have found many of his movies a little too straightforward, not challenging enough, safe. I am a firm believer that a great director's movies are a little imperfect, flawed even, so as to leave us room for interpretation and for repeat viewing. I felt this way about Mystic River and about his last two WWII movies. Sure the acting was solid, sure the direction was sure, but like the man who directed them, they seemed too restrained and just a little aloof.

But in the case of 2008's Changling, Eastwood's steady hand and "just the facts" approach are just right. This is just a great, old-fashioned movie. Set in 1928, this movie tells the story of a single working mother in LA, who returns home from work one afternoon to find her son missing. Five months later, the LAPD deliver a boy they say is hers, but is not. When she insists that they need to continue to find her son, they have her committed and besmirch her character in the press. To tell you more would be to ruin a truly compelling plot, with anguishing twists and turns all the way to the end.

Changeling is a plot-driven, actor-fueled movie. Angelina Jolie is excellent as the determined and anguished mother. I was struck by how completely she loses herself in the character, especially given her movie star/celebrity status. As much as I like Brad Pitt, I can't say that I have ever seen a performance of his where I forgot that he was the Brad Pitt. Jolie's performance transcends her as a person and is the glue that keeps you pinned to your seat, jaw-dropped and rooting for her character all the way.

The recreation of 1920s LA is stunning and everything about this film seems authentic and curiously modern at the same time.

Dirty Harry, Bravo!