2+ Weeks Ago, La Femme & I went to see this Flick, & right after all the Ads & Trailers, the Projector broke-down. BUT..The AMC Folks kindly refunded my money AND gave us a pair of Comp Tickets.

So..by my math, AMC ate an average of $9.00 X 350 Folks..TWICE-Over. About $6K to make us all happy. (They Succeeded!)

And..when I finally SAW this Movie last Saturday Night, It was Well-WORTH the $9 I would've spent on it. (& "Hats-Off" to AMC Theaters for a GRAND Effort at Crowd-Pleasin' in the Worst-of-Circumstances!)

On With The Show: Prepare yourself for a "Sad One"..."Based on a True Story" flashes on the screen, just as Director Clint Eastwood gets the story rolling. (Screenplay by Michael Straczynski..well-done!)

Set in Mid-20's-thru-30's Los Angeles, Eastwood fills the screen with excelent Re-Creations of What-Was-There Back-When: Cars, Architecture, Offices..with Authentic Desk Lamps, Table Fans..even Telephones all-Period Pieces.) There's a Busy "Central Switchboard"..maybe a Hundred Feet Long..with busy Plug-Jacking Phone Operators chattin'-away, occasionally flagging-down Supervisors on-rollerskates whizzin'-by...

One of these Very-Efficient Supervisors is Angelina Jolie, as Christine Collins. A very busy rollerskating Single-Mom, formerly made-pregnant by an off-camera Rolling-stone Daddy. Her School Age Son, Walter (by Gattlin Griffith)is the focus of her away-from-the-job life. She's about to be promoted..has to fill in for a missing worker on short-notice..& returns to find Walter is missing. The corrupt & very inefficient L.A.P.D.has a "24-Hour Waiting Rule"..so valuable time is lost in searching for her son.

Jeffrey Donovan SUPERBLY plays Evil-Hotshot-Honcho Captain JJ Jones, who handles the Missing-Child Case. For Publicity Purposes (Since John Malokovich, as Rev. Gustav Briegleb, has been detailing LAPD Corruption/Ineptitude on his local Radio Show) The Captain wastes NO time in retrieving her son & setting up a Photo-Op of the Re-Union. But..when Mz Collins SEES "Her Boy"...it's NOT her son. They talk her into Smiling for The Camera...& from then-on, Life goes Bad-to-MUCH Worse between Mz Colliins & The LAPD.

Prepare for a LOT of Plot-Turns..Some you Expect..Others..you Don't. It gets Grimmer & Grimmer..ending on a Hopeful Note..then The Credits...AND a Historical After-Note.

Rates a 7 1/2-Outta-10, maybe Higher IF you like Very Sad Movies.
IF you have kids (best left at home for this one), you'l breath a sigh of relief they're home, safe-in-bed, when you get back from seeing this one!) Jolie shines through a rather Tough Roll..with great "Backup" by Malkovich and Michael Kelly, who plays Det. Lester Ybarra..a Good-Cop to Donovan's Bad-Cop. (& the Little Girl on the Tricycle is Director Eastwood's 12-yr-old Daughter, Morgan, I'll add.)

Eastwood gets a "Hats Off" for a really Good Reminder that "The Good Old Days of Hollywood" weren't ALL That Good. And.. that The Guy on The Street (When Irked-Enough) CAN Make a Big Difference. I think we all need this "Reminder" from time-to-time..& this Movie Succeeds in reminding us Well.

JMO...Keep-or-Sweep-it!

Big Hugs,
Stan