Considering our last presidential election was, at a minimum, influenced by false news reports, it’s safe to say we need to talk about being more vigilant in our rush for news. Looking the at fact we currently have a president who has been the subject of multiple investigations for almost his entire term, it’s safe to say there needs to be a discussion about how our government entities and officials need to do a better job of adhering to the laws of our nation. Enter Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell”, which uses the story of 1996 Summer Olympic Games Bombing hero turned sole suspect Richard Jewell to combine both issues into a very timely film. Based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article, “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell”, the film gives us the parts of Jewell’s story that were not seen or heard during the time when he took O.J. Simpson’s place as a mid-90’s media ratings well. We’ve been long overdue for a good film from Eastwood and we just might have it with this one if it can get out of its own way.
The cast of “Richard Jewell” is easily the film's strongest attribute and that starts with Paul Walter Hauser as the film’s titular character. Hauser takes Jewell from someone mostly viewed as a guy who stumbled into tragedy and the resulting media firestorm into someone you feel genuine empathy for as you watch him struggle with his desire to maintain his adoration of law enforcement and dedication to doing the right thing in the face of the FBI unjustly making him its prime suspect in the bombing. With every tactic we see the FBI employ to obtain a confession, Hauser does an excellent job of providing a physical display of the aforementioned internal battle Jewell fought. Veterans Kathy Bates and Sam Rockwell provide excellent compliments to Hauser’s Jewell. In her role as Jewell’s mother Bobi, Bates does not do much early in the film with the exception of a one liner here and there. However, Bates really turns it on in the latter half of the film as she becomes more aggressive in protecting her son’s name. Rockwell delivers another stellar performance as Jewell’s attorney and friend, Watson Bryant. In a role that you would assume requires a great deal of sternness, Rockwell takes a laid back, almost comical at times approach that works to keep you engaged in a film that could easily lull due to its heavy subject matter.
Eastwood proves to be both a gift and a curse for his film. On one hand, we see yet again that Clint Eastwood is an excellent storyteller. Just as we’ve seen in the better parts of his directorial filmography (ex. Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino), “Richard Jewell” shows Eastwood can give us a fulfilling story even if it doesn’t end how we’d like. The film also shows yet another example of how Eastwood’s experience as an actor gives him the ability to get actors/actresses to hit the exact notes needed to execute a scene. On the other hand, it’s Eastwood’s politics that are the curse for this film and keep it from reaching its full potential. As masterful a job he did with introducing us to a Richard Jewell we were never privy to through the headline and news clips, Eastwood did an equally terrible job at avoiding the temptation to go overboard on those responsible for tarnishing Jewell’s name to the point where it feels like Donald Trump took the director’s chair and scriptwriting duties while Eastwood took a break for another anti-Obama rant at an empty chair.
Overall, “Richard Jewell” does a fine job of seizing the opportunity to give us a different view of the Richard Jewell saga. It allows us to learn about him beyond the Centennial Park bombing as well as giving us a window into the hell he endured while being the sole suspect in the very bombing he risked his life to prevent. While Eastwood couldn’t stop himself from going too far to prove how badly the FBI and media botched its handling of Jewell, the trio of Hauser, Bates, and Rockwell earn enough goodwill through their performances that “Richard Jewell” remains a must see for entertainment purposes and a reminder of the damage that sensational media and abuse of power can cause.
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