Lara Croft, Mrs Smith, Fox… And now Christine Collins. OK, so Angelina Jolie’s crusading mother is lacking in the guns’n’gadgets department, but she nonetheless deserves pride of place in the actress’ ever-expanding line-up of gutsy heroines.
A struggling single mom, Collins is devastated when her young son Walter goes missing. Five months later, he’s ‘found’ and returned to her by the police. Convinced that the boy isn’t Walter, Christine voices her concern to Captain JJ Jones ( Jeffrey Donovan). But, after her ‘troublemaking’ earns her a ticket to the funny farm, she resolves to expose the rotten-to-the-core LAPD and dig out the truth.
Clint Eastwood’s period piece is a twisty, gripping tale – one that may seem implausible if it weren’t based on a real case. Granted, the occasional moments of slushy melodrama are a tough pill to swallow, but the veteran’s assured direction keeps this well away from over-sobby TV-movie territory. As well as staging a period recreation of ’20s LA, Clint juggles genres (thriller, women’s picture) and themes (corruption, capital punishment); it’s a busy mix, but he never loses focus on his protagonist’s plight.
Wise move. Angie’s performance – a ball of frustration and determination – provides the film with its emotional kick. “I never want to work with another director again,” Jolie gushes on one of the two featurettes. Judging by this effort they could well become
Richard Jordan
