Clint Eastwood is both the director and the composer of Changeling, and his moseying, light-jazz score seems to have set the pace for the entire production. For a drama about a missing child, Changeling is curiously devoid of any sense of urgency. The movie is based on an actual crime case from 1928, in which a Los Angeles mother’s 9-year-old son disappeared while she was at work. Five months later, the police return a boy they claim is her son, even though she insists he is not. As the mother, Angelina Jolie tries to fill the void left by Eastwood with some Very Big Acting, yet her trembling hands and flowing tears don’t get us any closer to this woman’s inner agony – to understanding whatever hopelessness, terror or even guilt she might feel.
