A Reel Review: RICHARD JEWELL

One of the most difficult movies to make are ones based on historical events. If the audience already knows the beginning and the end, then the challenge to the filmmaker is to make all the in-between stuff worthwhile, and in doing so…make that already-known ending mean something. Meet Clint Eastwood’s RICHARD JEWELL. 

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser), finds a planted bomb just before it goes off. Having evacuated bystanders, Jewell is at first hailed as a hero, but as the FBI treats him as a suspect, led by Agent Shaw (Jon Hamm), local reporter Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde), breaks the story and paints Jewell as the one who planted the bomb. 

More of a character study than a point-by-point Wikipedia movie, JEWELL follows its main character closely as he goes from perceived hero to villain in a blink. The immediate attention from the FBI and the massive media circus changes his life drastically, including his mother (Kathy Bates). Along the way he hires an old lawyer friend to represent him (Sam Rockwell), and works to clear his name. 

What makes it all tick is the strong character work done right from the start. Richard Jewell is portrayed as a big lug with a big heart, with dreams of becoming a police officer. His love and appreciation for law enforcement is taken advantage of by the FBI, and his aw-shucks demeanor is too good to be true for the press. He is an endearing character, and we care about what happens to him even if the story is known. 

Behind the camera, Clint Eastwood films and edits one of his best efforts in years. The re-creation of the bombing is very well done, and great work is done to bring us back to the Nineties. Pacing is brisk, the humor well-timed, and he gets tremendous performances from his cast. 

Those tremendous performances carry the film and carry it well. Paul Walter Hauser is amazing, capturing that good ol’ boy demeanor perfectly and his dramatic bits excellent. Kathy Bates steals the show with another great performance, and Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, and Sam Rockwell all great. 

RICHARD JEWELL finishes as a cautionary tale; a story of what can happen when the press and government rush to judgement. Eastwood is definitely preaching something here, and it’s up to the viewer to decide what…but it no way derails what is a finely crafted film about one of the darkest days and months in American history. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it