Reviewed by Johnny McNair 

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 142 mins – 2008 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 2.40: 1 – DTS-HD Lossless Master 5.1 Audio

 

 

You’ve got to give it to Clint Eastwood, because the guy has been in the business for over fifty years and he’s still going strong. Many know him for his tough guy roles either as a maverick cowboy or renegade cop, but these days Eastwood is known more for his work behind the camera as a director, earning praises for his films Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima. For his latest film The Changeling, Eastwood takes on a subject that most would shy away from, missing children. The Changeling comes to Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment, and if you desire a well-crafted intelligent drama, Clint makes our day.

 

THE MOVIE

 

The Changeling is a period film based on true events that took place in Los Angeles in 1928, starring Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins, a single mother who works hard to raise her only child Walter. But one day when she comes home and discovers that he is missing, she desperately seeks help to find him, but instead faces a corrupt police department and Mayor desperate to clean their image for the public, resulting in them pulling a bait-and-switch and returning a boy who is really not her son and making her believe that it is.

 

Christine’s image is twisted in the media, labeling her as mentally unstable and she is sent to a mental institution where she sees women just like her who have been tossed into the asylum for no other reason than the police want to get rid of them. The only help comes from a local churchman, Reverend Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), and one good cop on the force, Det. Ybarra (Michael Kelly), who work with Christine’s case to go after the L.A. Police Department

 

This is a true actors movie where the performances stand above even the subject matter itself. Besides the A-list actors, there are some strong supporting roles, particularly from Jason Butler Harner as a disturbed man who abducts children and keeps them in a chicken coop, and Eddie Alderson as a kid who has scene so much horror that he is mentally breaking down.

 

Director Eastwood handles the material with care, and goes for an old-fashioned filmmaking style. With a running time of 2 hours and 22 minutes, the movie could have been trimmed down a good 15 minutes, but when it moves it flows well. Angelina Jolie, who is better known for her tough girl roles in Wanted, Mr and Mrs. Smith and Tomb Raider, delivers an excellent sympathetic performance as a desperate mother, (having so many kids in real life surely prepped her for the role) and she deserved the Academy Award nomination she received.

 

The Challenging is recommended for anyone who is tired of watching loud movies where something blows up every five minutes, and actors in their late 20’s and 30’s are playing teenagers. It is a one shot movie that you may not want to re-watch repeatedly, but the experience stays with you. For the serious intelligent minded moviegoers looking to expand their Blu-ray collection, The Changeling is worth your attention.

 

VIDEO

 

Presented in full 1080p in a 2.40.1 aspect ratio The Changeling looks incredible and may surprisingly be one of the best looking Blu-rays out there.  Colors have been slightly muted to give the film an old nostalgic look, but where most films attempt this style and look flat, here the image still stands strong. Director of Photography Tom Stern who has worked on several of Clint Eastwood’s movies displays once again why he’s one of the best in the business. This one is a visual winner.

 

 

AUDIO

 

Offering a 5.1 DTS-HD Lossless master audio mix, The Changeling is a heavy dialogue movie that doesn’t offer much rear speaker play. The dialogue sounds crisp and clean, and certain background noises such as crowd and street scenes are nicely balanced. Overall, the sound mix works well, but doesn’t offer any bells and whistles.

 

EXTRAS

 

This Blu-ray doesn’t offer much in the bonus features department, because what is offered is not very memorable. It would have been interesting if a real documentary were added about the real Christine Collins and the events of this case, or even a director’s audio commentary track from Eastwood. Instead all you get is a few lame featurettes.

 

The Common Thread: Angelina Jolie Becomes Christine Collins is a five-minute piece on the actresses’ wardrobe for the movie. Unless you’re a fashion freak, this isn’t worth watching.

 

Partners in Crime: Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie runs about fifteen minutes and is basically just a promotional piece with mini-interviews and some behind the scenes footage. Again, they could have offered something more satisfying than this.

 

Via Universal’s U-Control you can access Picture-in-Picture interviews and on the set clips, as well as a look at Los Angeles then and now to see how the location has changed in the past eighty years.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

The Changeling is a well-acted and strong drama that is definitely worth a look. The Blu-ray offers a fantastic image and good sound, but skimps on the extras. Fans of Jolie or Eastwood’s directing resume will really enjoy the film, and for all others it’s definitely a change of pace from watching The Mummy for the fortieth time. Do yourself a favor and give this one a look.

 

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 4.0

Video: 4.5

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 4.0