Eastwood’s latest film is an engrossing thriller drama centering on the true events following an L.A. woman, Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) search for her missing son.  But the fight takes a different route when she is returned the wrong boy.  She fights the system, in the form of the corrupt L.A. Police Department who refuses to be embarrassed by the mistake of finding the wrong boy.  This is Eastwood doing a DIRTY HARRY of a varied sort, where the dirty guys (inside and out) are the cops.

Set in 1928, Eastwood’s film takes its time to both unfold its story (Eastwood has proven to be an excellent story teller) and period scenery.  His camera often shoots from the inside of the vintage trolley cars to reveal a 1930’s city, gorgeous to look at but utterly filthy on the inside.  The details from the wardrobe to the props, hairstyles and clothing articles are impressive.  Based on looks alone, Eastwood’s film excels.

As in most of Eastwood’s films, it is difficult to tell what his film is really about till the end.  In MILLION DOLLAR BABY, it is only during the last half hour before the audience realizes that the film is essentially a love story between the older character played by Eastwood and the younger boxer.  Similarly it is only in the last half hour of CHANGELING that Eastwood reveals what his film is about.  The script and Eastwood juggle between two unrelated issues resolving them to a satisfying closure.

This is not the first film Jolie has portrayed a distraught female.  She played a similar role but a wife searching for a husband in A MIGHT HEART.  In CHANGELING, Eastwood elicits Jolie’s best performance to date, restraining her (unlike Winterbottom in A MIGHTY HEART) in a controlled state most of the time, but finally letting her go all out during the end.  But two other actors John Malkovich as Rev. Gustav Briegleb and newcomer Dale Dickey as an unnamed mental patient steal the show.  Malkovich plays the obsessed minister with all the hysterical relish he can muster.  His best line: “My main purpose in life is to expose the corruption of the L.A. Police Force.” Dickey gets the audience applauding when she lays her fist to her examining physician.

Though CHANGELING is a film that succeeds in all departments including music (love that repeating haunting theme), it is Eastwood story-telling skills and eventual film build up that makes the movie.  Despite some characters seemingly appearing for no reason, the connection is made eventually.  Eastwood attempts to link a few of theses scenes, such as the police captain (Jeffrey Donovan) crossing Detective Lester (Michael Kelly)’s path at the station.

When CHANGELING was screened this year at Cannes, it was hugely ignored with Eastwood visibly annoyed flying off early before the award closing ceremonies.  Like they say, if a film does well at Cannes, it will do badly at the Oscars and vice versa.  CHANGELING will undoubtedly sweep awards at the Oscar ceremony, hopefully for Jolie, Malkovich and the Dickey.