Richard Jewell

Richard Jewell

Starring Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood has begun a tradition of directing films centering on heroes in today's generation, to varying results.  Films like "American Sniper" (detailing the life of Chris Kyle) and "Sully" (centering on the Hero of the Hudson, Sully Sullenberger) were met with critical and audience acclaim, while his other film, "The 15:17 to Paris," was in every way a bomb, due to the fact that Eastwood cast the actual heroes in their roles, and in doing so showed by non-actors shouldn't lead a film.  Now he's telling the real-life story of Richard Jewell - an overweight wannabe cop who became a hero when he found a bomb at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and who later became the scorn of the nation after he was falsely accused of planting it in the first place - and the result is similar to Eastwood's earlier work - a critical hit that delivers on all cylinders, showing the world the story behind the cameras and firmly establishing a hero and a villain.

Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) always wanted to be a cop, and was raised by his mother Bobi (Kathy Bates) to respect authority, but he could never catch a break when it comes to being on a police force - mostly due to his portly size, seemingly limited intelligence, and inept social skills.  He took the job of a freelance security guard by AT&T to watch the music events during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and that's where he discovered a backpack with pipe bombs and managed to save countless lives.  Hailed as a hero, this former nobody suddenly found himself a somebody, but to FBI Agent Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm), he was suspect number one due to his theory of a nobody who wanted to be a somebody.

Shaw relays his information to reporter Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde), who firmly believes Jewell is the culprit due to the prejudices both share: an overweight loner living with his mother who never could cut it as a cop decides to become a national hero by preventing a bombing that he orchestrated in the first place to attain notoriety.  Scruggs runs the story, and all of a sudden Jewell is seen as the only suspect in both the eyes of the FBI and the media, and he enlists the help of attorney Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell) to defend him, but Bryant has his hands full trying to keep Jewell quiet and not incriminate himself as he still considers the FBI as equals, while they see him as nothing more than a scapegoat to blame.

There's a lot to be said about the power of the media, and while the majority of reporters manage to tell the facts, "Richard Jewell" seems to showcase the media as public enemy number one - and rightfully so.  During the real case, they were quick to jump on the bandwagon that Jewell was the bomber if only to sensationalize the story and give themselves big ratings, and used Jewell for their own nefarious purposes.  Likewise, the FBI - under intense scrutiny to find out who was behind the bombing - purposefully chose Jewell as their prime suspect because his appearance gave the stereotype for a lone bomber, and wouldn't even consider any other options, but rather tried to fit the evidence to Jewell, but of course they couldn't do that.  Basically, everyone targeted Jewell because he was an easy target, and he didn't do much to help his own case.

Eastwood's simple approach to directing is to provide a clear hero and clear villain, and he does the same here.  The heroes consist of Paul Walter Hauser's Jewell, Kathy Bates' Bobi Jewell, and Sam Rockwell's Walter Bryant.  We see the story through their eyes, and witness the pain, suffering, and downright alienation they all suffered at the hands of a greedy government and media.  To this end, all three actors give tremendous performances, and none of them are lesser than the rest.

Hauser portrays Jewell as a fractured man, someone who has his flaws but in his heart he's a good ole boy.  He desired to be a policeman forever, and at any semblance of that fact (be it a rent-a-cop for a college dorm or freelance security at the Olympics), he immediately lets the power go to his head and becomes, sadly, insufferable.  I'm not sure if this is how the real Richard Jewell was, but if so, there's a part of me that could understand why the FBI would target him, due to his erratic nature, which Hauser perfectly performs.

As his no-nonsense lawyer, Sam Rockwell again gives an engaging performance as he not only has to contend with the FBI and media, but Jewell's own capricious nature, who constantly talks to the FBI without him present and also doesn't give him all the information.  You sense his furious annoyance and feel for him as he has to play this tightrope act as well as perform his duties to a friend he's known for years.

The standout is Kathy Bates, who plays Jewell's longsuffering mother Bobi.  Bates has already earned a Golden Globe nomination, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Oscar come knocking at her door as well.  She plays Bobi with a sweet sensitivity that you can't help but be emotional for, and absolutely nails her performance.

What's heroes without villains?  Eastwood portrays FBI Agent Tom Shaw and reporter Kathy Scruggs as the villains in the story, and both Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde are more than up to the task.  Hamm's Shaw is egotistical, stubborn, and ethically ambiguous as he seemingly knows that Jewell is innocent, but sets out to nail him just on his physical appearance.

Likewise, Olivia Wilde's Kathy Scruggs is quick to nail Jewell to the cross as well, with the same surface-level feeling, even goes as far as to say, "that fat f*** lives with his mother, of course!"  Scruggs has no redeeming qualities in the film, as she's driven by pure ambition and will stop at nothing (and sleep with anyone) to get the information she needs.  This is the biggest controversy concerning the film, as the real-life Kathy Scruggs passed away in 2001, and her family was never consulted for the film - and they firmly believe that she would never trade sex for information, and that Eastwood portrayed her in a very negative light.  If that's the case, Eastwood accomplished that task because I couldn't stand her in the film.

Despite what you think you know, "Richard Jewell" manages to shed an intimate light into the life of a real-life hero whose name became tarnished by an unjust media and government investigation before being exonerated and living out his life, delivered with amazing performances and a strong, seasoned director at the helm.

The Score: A+