Richard Jewell is a tale of the security guard that found a suspicious package under a bench in Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He managed to secure a perimeter before the bomb exploded, saving hundreds of lives. However, he was afforded just a couple of days as a hero, appearing on national news and being offered a book deal, before the FBI ‘unwittingly’ named him as the no.1 suspect and the trial by media began.
Clint Eastwood has successfully told an incredible story of a guy I feel like I should have already known about. I’m not sure if there was any greater meaning intended or a particular agenda, but taken at face value it is a fascinating account of the Centennial Park bombing and the three months that followed in the life of the security guard-cum-prime suspect. It also provides somewhat of a preview to the fake news, and notion of guilty until proven innocent that seems so popular nowadays.
Within the film, Richard Jewell is effectively painted as the weirdo, failed-law-enforcement-officer, somewhat socially-awkward security guard and potential lone bomber, that you grow to really like and feel incredibly sorry for as the film goes on.
There is an incredibly cringe-worthy scene in which Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) secures a front page story regarding Jewell and the whole office/newsroom applauds as she revels in the adulation. It was incredibly over-the-top and not particularly believable. I mean someone gets the front page every day, no? Another Scruggs-related disappointment came later in the film, after earlier breaking the ‘bomber as lead suspect’ news story and securing multiple front pages, she very quickly changes her mind on the case, based on some evidence that was available the whole time…
Sam Rockwell was exceptional as always as one of Jewell’s few friends and case lawyer. I think I’d happily watch anything he is in for the rest of his career. Cathy Bates was great as Jewell’s mum, but I don’t think it was worthy of a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Oscars.
I mainly watched the film because we had early access with our Odeon Limitless memberships and I wanted to see how easily that worked. Unless you for some reason get to watch films for free, have a dodgy box or really love watching films, you should probably wait until this one makes its way to TV.
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