Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote in his review that Jolie put on a "powerful emotional display" in the film, which he felt only lost its pace "momentarily." "Seldom does a 141-minute movie feel this short," he wrote.The Hollywood Reporter: Changeling Review (May 20, 2008)

Variety's Todd McCarthy praised Eastwood's "attentive" direction of Changeling, noting that the movie was one of the director's most "visually vivid" films.Variety: Changeling Review (May 20, 2008)

MSNBC's Alonso Duralde criticized Eastwood's direction because "every last detail" is shown, leaving little for the audience to imagine. This, Duralde felt, "minimized" the "power" of the movie.MSNBC: Changeling Review (October 20, 2008)

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times and critic Emanuel Levy both pointed out in their reviews that Changeling lacked the "moral ambiguity" seen in Eastwood's other movies. For Dargis, this contributed to the film's inability to "take hold" of its audience. Levy, on the other hand, still felt the movie was "well-made" and gave it an "A-" grade.The New York Times: Changeling Review (May 21, 2008) Emanuel Levy: Changeling Review