Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Just got back from a long day in Saratoga on my day off of work, went to the mall to see a movie and other things. Today I saw the movie “Changeling” the new film by Clint Eastwood. He didn’t star in it at all, he just directed the film.

Plot/synopsis: Story centers around a single mother named Christine Collins (Jolie) living in Los Angeles, it is the year 1928. She lives with her 9 year old son named Walter Collins. One day coming home from work, she is a supervisor for the phone operators, she discovers her son Walter is missing when she left him home alone. After looking for her son Walter all day long, she gives up and calls the police to report a missing child. Several months later, the LA PD tells Christine that they find her son alive and well. They set up a reunion at the Union Station (a train station) when Christine and her son reunites, she immediately realized that it wasn’t really him, it was a fake Walter impersonating her son. She tried to explain that the boy they found wasn’t really Walter Collins but no one would listen to her and thinks it’s really him, so the LA PD forced her to take the boy home.

When Christine took the fake Walter Collins home, she begins to investigate him trying to figure out why the boy is pretending to be Walter Collins. She was unsuccessful. When she tries to report this matter to the police once again to complain to LA PD that her son is still missing, the LA PD doesn’t buy what she says. They still believe what they found was her son and she still says it isn’t him. The LA PD immediately throws Christine Collins in the mental hospital. While her time in the mental hospital for women, she befriended another insane patient named Carol who also had experience being thrown in the hospital for the insane by starting trouble with the law.

While, Christine is stuck in the mental hospital, the LA PD arrested a boy at a home for illegal immigration. Det. Ybarra arrested the boy and took him to the police station for custody. The boy explains to Det. Ybarra for the immigration that he was forced to help kill 20  children with his cousin who is a child serial killer. The boy explains to the Det. that the killer named Gordon Northcott (his cousin). The boy confirms that Walter Collins, Christine’s son was one of those victims.

Does Christine ever find her son alive? Is he dead? You’ll have to watch the movie yourself to find out. That’s as far as I will go with the story ’cause there are some surprising twists and turns.

My thoughts on the film? As usual Clint Eastwood never dissapoints with his films. Angelina Jolie’s acting is amazing as usual. This movie is taking place in the 1920’s, so she isn’t supposed to be hot and sexy looking, that’s the way women used to look like back in those days.

I really enjoyed the story, the acting of the cast were good all around. Not too many big name stars in the film either. Only two big names in the film are Angelina and John Malkovich. Eastwood did a fine job keeping this film unpredictable, I sure didn’t know what was going to happen next. You never knew if Christine’s son is ever going to be found dead or alive.

Great job once again, Clint. I LOVED THE FILM! It’s not one of his best films ever made but “Changeling” was an excellent film though. Usually these kind of movies taken place in the 1920’s can be kind of boring but Clint didn’t make this movie boring. He kept you glued to the story and will get the viewers of this film talking. It is reccomended. Check it out if you like a good mystery type of film.

Score for “Changeling” = **** (4 stars as in excellent)

Kev