Richard Jewell Movie Review

“Richard Jewell” takes on the story of the bombing at the 1996 Olympics where a lowly security guard becomes an overnight hero. Then just as quickly, his fame is turned on its head and he is turned into a loathsome monster, a self-interested bomber who wants glory and recognition. He was made a scapegoat by the people that he respected the most, fellow law enforcement offices – including the FBI Agents who leaked his name to the press. But the story shows that when the facts are on your side – you pound on the facts. When the facts are not on your side – you pound on the table…

Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) is a socially awkward and somewhat overweight guy who yearns to be a part of law enforcement. He reads the Georgia Penal Code at night, because he wants to get all the facts right about justice. He lives with this mother Bobi (Kathy Bates) who loves him more than anything. For a while, Richard works as a clerk in an office, and he meets a lawyer named Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell). Richard and Watson hit it off, but Richard leaves for a new job. Richard gets a couple of jobs, and he sometimes gets to wear a badge. But he is fired from those positions, because he tends to be a tad too aggressive. When the 1996 Summer Olympics come to Atlanta, Richard gets a chance to work as a security guard.

One night, there is a mysterious man who drops off a large backpack in Centennial Park. He drifts off into the crowd, and Richard happens to spot it. There is no person around the bag who might claim it. So, he reports as a suspicious package, which needs to be examined by the bomb squad. Every other law enforcement guy around thinks he is going overboard on this. But the explosives experts show up, and soon the area is being cleared. There is a bomb and it detonates, but since Richard had gotten everyone to work together and back away from the area, there is only a single fatality. The police and the EMTs and the FBI are on site immediately. Also, the local and the national press on the scene – and they need a good story. One specific reporter will not take no for an answer, it is local journalist named Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde).

The FBI Agent in charge, Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm), needs a suspect. He does not want a major bombing on his watch without getting a likely suspect rounded up. The FBI profiles for a ‘lone bomber’ start to tilt to Richard Jewell – the meek-mannered and unassuming hero of the hour. He fits the ‘profile’ they all say. He has social difficulties, has a spotty work record, and he thinks that he should be on the same level as the FBI. He is modest, but he does like to get the recognition. Richard has been offered a book deal, so he looks up his lawyer friend Watson Bryant about what he should do. But Kathy Scruggs will not be deterred, and she uses her female charms to seduce the ‘suspect’ name out of Tom Shaw. Before too long, Richard is calling up Watson Bryant – but not about book deals. He needs help after publicly being named as the FBI’s only target for the Atlanta Bomber.

There are many tense days and nights, leading to meetings in small rooms with no windows. Richard proclaims his innocence, but he is also a little too helpful to the FBI agents. After all, he says: “They are in law enforcement, just like I am”. But the FBI has no bones on pinning the bombing on Richard Jewell. Ignoring the facts in this case – they do not want to let the public think that the FBI is just going to sit back when there has been a deadly bombing. But some things do not add up. Watson Bryant knows they have the wrong guy, and Richard know they have the wrong guy. But the FBI refuses to consider anyone else, and the pounding of the press backs up that incorrect story…

“Richard Jewell” is a very down-to-earth production tells a true tale of good intentions gone way wrong. It lays out a story of a guy who was dragged through hell because of an overzealous FBI presence and an attack dog attitude from the press. Richard, and Bobi Jewell, are continually hounded and spied on, just because the FBI needed to find somebody quickly who could fit a ‘profile’. It is not a flashy production with overly grand designs. But in the hands of director Clint Eastwood, the story is told simply and with an air of truth. However, the roles of the FBI Agents, and especially the role of Kathy Scruggs, are played a bit too over-the-top. They come off as a group of evil henchmen – ready to topple the idea of the “Hero Security Guard”. But mostly, the movie stays on track to reveal that, six years later – the actual bomber was found and captured.

Paul Walter Hauser (as Richard Jewell) does a heart-breaking job as the poor schmuck who tries too hard to please the ‘fellow law enforcement officers’ in the FBI. As Richard, he wants so much to belong into a group that just does not want him – they actively reject him. He finds it hard to keep eye contact when he talks with people, and his voice quivers sometimes with emotion.  Kathy Bates (as Bobi Jewell) also is superb as the distraught mother, who knows that her child cannot be the evil killer that the press makes him out to be. Sam Rockwell (as Watson Bryant) creates a self-assured presence that lets Richard know that he is in his corner – and he knows that Federal Case the FBI has built is made from sand. He just waits for the next big wave to roll in. The other actors are a good fit in those roles, even if the overbearing FBI and press are made into cartoon villains.

Clint Eastwood is still going strong with directing and creating visual storytelling that just feels right. He is close to 90 years old, but his talent and his vigor is still visible in his work. Chalk up another impressive movie from a very impressive man. Eastwood goes his own way, and the audiences appreciate all of his work.