Changling

Awhile ago I went to see Changling. What a good movie. Not that I thought it would be bad. I'm not a big fan of Clint Eastwood as an actor but, he is a very good director. And it wasn't just the directing that was good. The acting and writing were very good as well.

The story is very good and one that really deserved to be told. As much corruption as there is in some police departments today nothing compares to the old Los Angeles police department. I think what's most frightening about it was that even when caught red handed they still act like they did nothing wrong.

The other thing that sticks with me about this movie is how it shows that the truth will always be more surprising and almost unbelievable than fiction.


Spoilers Alert:


It's really amazing the lengths people will go to, to make themselves look good. Not only did the Los Angeles police department try to pass off one boy for another they got doctors to say some of the most insane things to try and explain the differences between the two. Like saying that stress had caused the boy to shrink. And that other things just pretty much magically disappeared.

I think the most disturbing thing about the police trying to cover their butts was how they just locked women up who made a fuss. And not with fabricated crimes and into jail cells but, on basically permanent psych holds. How frightening to think that a police department could just do that because they didn't want people making them look bad.

If this wasn't a true story the movie would have been panned by critics when the twist involving a serial killer came along. A man who uses a young boy to help him kidnap other boys and then just chops them to bits for the fun of it would seem like the lamest attempt to make a standard drama a suspense thriller.

Nor would anyone buy the ending where one of the other missing boys suddenly turns up if it hadn't actually happened.



Overall this was a very good movie. If it's still in theaters near you I'd highly recommend seeing it. And it is absolutely worth full price. If can't see it in theaters be sure to put it at the top of your to rent list.