Changeling
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich
What's it about: In 1920s L.A., a single mother's son disappears - and when police eventually return him, she's convinced it's not her boy.
Dark turn: Directed by Clint Eastwood and based on a true story, this movie seems to be about the way a corrupt Los Angeles Police Department abused the trust of a tough-minded woman (Jolie). They give her a substitute child, then throw her in a mental asylum when she insists to the press that it's not her son. But the story takes a disturbing twist midway through - and suddenly you're plunged into a grisly story of child abduction and murder by a wormy serial killer. Jolie is out of her depth as this strong-willed mother; John Malkovich, as a crusading minister who takes up her case, carries their scenes. So does Jeffrey Donovan ("Burn Notice") as the unscrupulous juvenile officer who makes life difficult for her. Still, the movie itself will give you the creeps - and not in a good way.
Long story short: It's a valiant effort - but close doesn't cut it.
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