Yet another true life story comes to theaters, elucidating a largely unknown or forgotten chapter of history. In this case it is the 1996 Olympic bombing in Atlanta, in which security guard Richard Jewell was first celebrated as a hero for spotting the suspicious package and then vilified when the FBI publicly identified him as a suspect days after it detonated. This cautionary tale is directed by Clint Eastwood, and it’s the best work Eastwood has done in years.
Clint Eastwood’s film presents the portly security guard (Paul Walter Hauser) as a well meaning but overzealous wannabe cop, wishing only to be taken seriously by the men in blue. It is his zeal that saves lives before the bomb detonates, yet his respect for authority allows the suspicious FBI agents to push him around, possibly into jail. Eastwood takes aim at both authority and the media, arguing very cogently that common sense should trump suspicion and profiles and easy answers. Some have argued that this film is simply the conservative actor railing against societal targets that irk him; if this is so this project was brilliantly conceived to serve his agenda.
The only aspect that seems troublesome is reporter Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) using her wiles to coax Jewell’s name from FBI agent Shaw (Jon Hamm). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has taken issue with the portrayal of Scruggs, and they have a point. But Shaw gives up Jewell’s name before any sexual shenanigans, and it is he who breaks ethics by doing so, not the intrepid reporter. Scruggs eventually comes around to thinking Jewell innocent; Shaw does not. If Eastwood is pointing fingers, he’s pointing at the FBI (and remember, this is the man who directed J. Edgar several years ago).
The bottom line is that Richard Jewell is a very solid, empathic picture. Hauser is excellent; Sam Rockwell is great as his lawyer, Watson Bryant. Kathy Bates is excellent as Jewell’s mother Bobi. The story of a man being publicly humiliated without any way to defend himself is compelling storytelling, a universal nightmare for anyone experiencing it. Eastwood has fashioned a very strong movie that should touch the nerves of anyone who has ever rushed to judgment. ☆ ☆ ☆. 16 December 2019.