I think the trailer for Richard Jewell bothered me a little bit. I generally enjoy movies directed by Clint Eastwood, but of late, he’s been on something of a “real American heroes” thing, where most of his movies have been based on real heroics by various Americans. Heck, even The Mule was based on a true story. But given Eastwood’s stated politics, the timing on Richard Jewell was a little suspect. How else would I read a movie where the bad guys are the media and the Deep State?
Then again, Eastwood made the excellent American Sniper about as un-political as that story can be, and that is not the case for the memoir it is based on. It could just be how the movie was marketed.
And, it turns out, that is more or less how the movie was marketed and less than what the actual movie says. If this is a political statement, it at least isn’t an overt one. Besides, the real Richard Jewell, now deceased, certainly was treated in a most abysmal manner by the media over this whole thing, so maybe reminding people not to jump to conclusions all the time is a good thing. Though the movie doesn’t depict it, Jewell did sue a number of media outlets, settling out of court with all but one, and that was his hometown paper the Atlanta Constitution-Journal. They managed to prevail in court because they never actually printed anything that was untrue.
But let’s step back and take a look at the actual movie. Paul Walter Hauser plays Jewell as a simple guy, an observant man who aspires to work in law enforcement. He can’t quite make it there for a number of reasons, but he does get a security job at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where his general observation skills find a backpack that had a bomb in it. His work saved a lot of lives as law enforcement was able to minimize casualties. Afterwards, Jewell became something of a celebrity, but because he found the bomb, he was also a top suspect for leaving it, particularly given he fits a number of profiles for bombers. That in turn ends up in the local newspaper when hardnosed female reporter stereotype Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) gets a tip from FBI agent Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm). After that, both the FBI and the media won’t leave the generally genial Jewell alone.
Hauser actually makes a great Jewell. The last time I saw him in anything was the great I, Tonya, and the only reason I didn’t at the time single him out as great is because there were no slouches at all in that cast. There really aren’t any slouches in Richard Jewell either, but this is a much more conventional kind of movie. Eastwood’s film here needs basically a strong central relationship with Hauser’s nice-guy Jewell and Sam Rockwell’s much more acerbic character, Watson Bryant.
Bryant is Jewell’s friend and attorney, a small-time real lawyer. For all that Jewell swallows anger, or at least understands what is going on and tries to co-operate with the law enforcement types that he aspires to be with, Bryant takes the opposite approach. With something of a libertarian streak (apparently much stronger in the real Bryant), the generally inexperienced lawyer takes the case for his friend with a gusto and volcanic fury that is almost certainly meant to match what the audience should feel for Jewell. Bryant is the one who calls Richard out for being so darn nice to the FBI agents trying to put him away. But at the same time, he knows how to create a good photo-op, even using Jewell’s mother Bobi (Kathy Bates) for it when he has to.
That said, there is one glaring note of controversy in the movie in the form of the Kathy Scruggs character. While Hamm’s federal agent is a composite character, Scruggs was a real woman, and like Richard Jewell, is likewise deceased. Even for someone who ultimately broke the story (with a co-writer who doesn’t get much screen time), the movie doesn’t exactly make it a flattering portrait of her, particularly with some lines implying she sleeps with her sources. For a movie trying to right a wrong performed on an assuming guy who did his job and saved lives, Wilde’s Scruggs almost comes across as a cartoon character for much of the film. Perhaps Scruggs was much like this portrayal, but she certainly wasn’t sleeping with a fictional fed.
Ultimately though, Richard Jewell is a lot like Eastwood’s other movies. It has a gentle sweep as it moves from scene to scene, telling the audience what it wants us to know as it crafts its story. And, truth be told, I do dig that about the man’s work.
Grade: A-
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