‘Richard Jewell’ The Nation Finds You… (Movie Review)
So I went to see Richard Jewell (2019) earlier this week. I remember seeing the trailer a month ago or so and being pretty intrigued by the premise of the film. What attracted me the most was the fact that the film was based on a true story… A true story I was unaware of, given that I was about 6 years old at the time that it came about. That aside I was along for the ride and eager to see how the whole thing would turn out. So without further ado lets get into it!
Richard Jewell (2019) is a drama directed by, Dirty Harry himself, Clint Eastwood, director of such films like Million Dollar Baby (2004), Gran Torino (2008), Changeling (2008), American Sniper (2014) and a great deal more. Richard Jewell (2019) is written by Marie Brenner, the writer of the Richard Jewell article. The film receives a screenplay from Billy Ray, writer of Shattered Glass (2003) and Captain Phillips (2013). Richard Jewell (2019) stars Paul Walter Hauser, as the main character Richard Jewell, Sam Rockwell, as Jewell’s friend and lawyer, Olivia Wilde, as the tenacious journalist Kathy Scruggs, Jon Hamm, as the relentless FBI agent Tom Shaw, and Kathy Bates as the mother to Richard Jewell, Bobi Jewell. The film is produced by a lot of people… not even kidding. Usually I would list names and mention their previous works, but I’m just going to list names, but don’t worry some will sound familiar to you guys. So the producers of this film include Jennifer Davisson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, of course, Jonah Hill, Jessica Meier, Kevin Misher, and lastly, Tim Moore. Richard Jewell (2019) is a great looking film and sports a compelling cast of characters. However with all this star power and production value in the film does Richard Jewell (2019) hold up? Keep on reading.
As I mentioned before I am not too familiar with this news story. I was around 6 years old when the story broke and, believe it or not, my family wasn’t even living in the country at the time… so this is “news to me”. It has been almost 24 years since the explosion heard around the nation that had people wondering at the time if Richard Jewell was, truly, a hero or a conspirator. From the trailers alone you can tell that the film is treading on some controversial territory. Richard Jewell (2019) does fit the current events these days when it comes to talk of what makes one an “incel” and the slew of mass shootings and bombings that take place on American soil at any given time. In the beginning of the film it is easy to see how Mr. Jewell could be seen as a potential menace to society. Mr. Jewell’s appearance naiveté have would mark him as your average Joe type of guy. Despite this first impression of our main character, it is Jewell’s intensity and grave seriousness about enforcing the law, even as a civilian, that gets him into trouble. Let’s go a little further.
Richard Jewell (2019) opens to our main character carting office supplies around a law office. Jewell (Hauser) restocks, lawyer, Watson Bryant’s (Rockwell) desk drawers with the generic office supplies and a little something special for Mr. Bryant. Just from the opening interaction between the two characters we can see that Jewell is an attentive man that possibly is a little too attentive and awkward as well. However Bryant sees Jewell as nothing more than a good man with an eye for detail and good intentions. Not too long after the warm opening to the film we are introduced to a more dogged side of Jewell. This second introduction to the character then gives us a sense of why Jewell could possibly be seen as the perpetrator of the villainous act that takes place later in the narrative. Today, like back then, the media often tells us one side of the story that does not usually favor the minds behind the heinous crimes. However the film allows us to see how one could be accused of being a less than favorable member of society just by appearing like one on the surface. It’s this view into the life of Richard Jewell that puts us on the roller coaster ride that was his life at the time.
So what do I think about the film overall… what’s the verdict… its great! Clint Eastwood’s direction along with the cast and crew give us an unnerving, emotional, and at times even light hearted film. Richard Jewell is shot well and has some memorable imagery that sticks with me even days after its viewing. Overall this is a film to go out and see! I’m not sure about all the facts of the story, but from a film standpoint I was invested in the story from beginning to end. Go see it guys its a good one!
