Another mature and thought-provoking film from Eastwood the director, this one based on a real-life incident.

The movie is subtle, reflective and pleasingly mature, focusing on the emotional side of the story throughout, and this allows leading actress Angelina Jolie to give her best performance to date (although that's not difficult, considering the type of lunk-headed blockbusters she's used to making - TOMB RAIDER anyone? I thought not).

Coming from Eastwood, it's a technical marvel, with flawless attention to detail (the 1920s-era fashions are particularly commendable) and a wide reaching story that's drip-fed at just the right level. I did find it slightly overlong, though - the first hour is more than a little repetitive with all the "he's not my son" dialogue - but once the police corruption angle becomes highlighted it really picks up.

From Clint Eastwood comes a harrowing, poignant, gripping and somewhat beautiful and unforgettable film. At 140 minutes or so, the pace surprisingly doesn't lag so I didn't feel bored watching this. The true story about a mother whose son vanishes without a trace, and her quest for the truth is gripping and shown here in an intelligent and thought-provoking way. While some parts are poignant, there are also parts that are truly harrowing, like when Christine is sedated, the tense cortroom scenes, the strong violence shown in the film or the screams of the convicted man when he is approaching the hangman's noose.

The direction from Eastwood is assured and attentive, the music is haunting and of true beauty in some spots and the script is nuanced and beautifully written. The period detail is indeed sumptuous, with scenery, costumes and settings making it look all authentic and beautiful, all captured perfectly by the brilliant cinematography. And the performances were nothing short of astonishing, with Angelina Jolie giving possibly her best performance in a mesmerising lead performance, and John Malkovich also very impressive. Overall, a beautiful and captivating film, much better than I thought it would be. 10/10 Bethany Cox

My summary is NOT to discourage you from watching the film--just to encourage you to think before you watch it. If you are easily disturbed or a child--by all means DON'T watch this movie. It earned its R-rating because it is so incredibly disturbing--very disturbing!!

I was very surprised to see that this film was based on a real case that I had never heard about and which was apparently pretty much forgotten until the brilliant writer, J. Michael Straczynski learned of the case. A mother (Angelina Jolie) is called away to work and leaves her young son home along back in 1928. When she returns, the child is gone--with absolutely no trace of him. Five months later, a child is located in Illinois and brought back to the mother--but the child is NOT hers!! It seems that the LA Police are so intent on closing the case that they push a child in her lap and demand she accept it--even though the boy is now 3 inches shorter and has been circumcise!!! Insane as it all is, when she complains, the police try to sweep it all under the rug by shoving her into a mental asylum--which is more like a chamber of horrors than anything else!. There is much more to the story than this--a much darker and more disturbing plot than just seeing the inside of the mental hospital. But, because I don't want to spoil the plot, I'll say no more about this.

The film excels in almost every way. Aside from a bit of dialog that seemed anachronistic, the film gets very high marks for an excellent script, wonderful directions, a great performance by Miss Jolie and great music--written by the director, Clint Eastwood. One other thing I loved about the film was John Malovich's character. He played a radio preacher who was NOT some hypocritical, evil self-aggrandizer--as so many preachers are portrayed in films. Instead, he was a good man and important to the plot--thanks for a positive portrayal instead of a clichéd attack on ministers! See this film--just be prepared for some horrifying images and themes.