Having taken his first shot at directing in 1971, Clint Eastwood is a director who seems to be growing better and better with age. Arguably hitting his peak with the fantastic Mystic River in 2003, Eastwood has astonishingly managed since then, not only to continue releasing films of a high calibre, but also to deliver more excellent efforts each time. From Million Dollar Baby to his WWII companion pieces Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, we are seeing the man who conquered the acting world finally start to truly conquer the directing world also (and at the astonishing age of 78). Eastwood has always been an excellent director (Play Misty for Me, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven) but only now are we seeing him reach the true peak of his directing career.
The question I and many others were dying to find out the answer to then was does Changeling continue the trend? Very gladly; yes. This is almost certainly Clint’s best, most accomplished film to date, and perhaps the one he will be remembered for when he’s gone. It is no overstatement when critics call this film a masterpiece, for it is certainly nothing less.
This is the true story of a mother going to every length necessary to get back her child, whilst being severely oppressed by a corrupt Los Angeles Police Department in the process. Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins (the mother) and John Malkovich as Reverend Gustav Briegleb who aids Collin’s fight against the police. One of the most notable things about this film is Jolie’s performance. She delivers what is most certainly the performance of her career as the grieved but confident and eternally persistent mother. After turning down the role primarily due to its distressing nature involving the loss of a child (as she has children of her own) it is a good thing that she finally gave in, as we identify so closely with her character here as an audience, due to her delivery, that I doubt anyone else could have pulled it off with the same effect and intensity. John Malkovich as his usual intellectual self gives a sturdy performance as the man pushing the buttons to get Christine’s plight noticed. Certainly worth a mention is the absolutely fantastic accompanying cast that lines the film (Jeffrey Donovon, Michael Kelly and Jason Butler Harner). To talk of their characters would be to ruin the film for those who haven’t seen it but it is these performances, coupled with those of the main stars that make this film a triumph in acting alone.
Centrally sharing a similar theme with Mystic River concerning a community suffering at the loss of a child this is a film that also delves into corruption, the judicial system, female independence and much more. It is a film that portrays the 1920s to perfection; there is no stone unturned in creating the illusion. Eastwood thankfully chooses to portray a realistic 1920s over the usual romanticised impression that many films give of a more innocent period. Los Angeles is a city in which the government, police force and medical establishment are all steeped in sadistic corruption. Perhaps the best example of realism in the film is a scene that Eastwood intended to make extremely difficult to watch; great attention to detail is paid where a man receives the death penalty by hanging. There are certainly some brutal elements to this film (hence its 15 certificate), they all however add to its overall effect. Eastwood himself describes stories concerning children in danger as “the highest form of drama you can have”. Brutality is therefore essential here in exercising this fear within the audience.
Fans of Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential or David Fincher’s Zodiac will adore what this film has to offer; I personally found it reminding me on many occasions of them both. It achieves more however than either of those excellent films do, which should tell you right there just how great Eastwood’s latest effort truly is.
5/5
