Nick Clement delivers us his Richard Jewell movie review and it’s safe to say he loved it!
This is yet another damn fine motion picture from Clint Eastwood, but then again, that’s no major surprise. Clint Eastwood is one of the best filmmakers currently living and I actively anticipate each one of his movies as if they were an event.
It’s a shame that this movie royally tanked in theaters last December because it’s a stirring indictment of the F.B.I. and the media’s corrosive effects when they print the rumors, and not the story.
The fact that Richard Jewell got railroaded in the manner that he did is despicable and truly frightening. It’s another timely story about the press reacting too quickly in order to make a “scoop”. It showcases some very sloppy and questionable journalism and law enforcement tactics that should STILL send a shiver down your spine.
The controversial decision on the part of Eastwood and super-talented screenwriter Billy Ray to inject a “sex-for-tips” subplot between the Atlanta-based reporter who broke the story about Jewell becoming a suspect and the federal agent who tipped her off to the agencies plans is an interesting one was interesting if not unexpectedly Hollywood maneuver; but honestly, how exactly do we know this didn’t happen in real life?
And if it was an embellishment for the sake of dramatic effectiveness in the context of a movie, well, I personally don’t have a problem with that. The Atlanta Journal Constitution acted inappropriately, and so did the F.B.I., thus ruining Jewell’s life, so who really cares?
The performances in this patiently directed film are uniformly superb. Paul Walter Hauser drops an intensely coiled piece of acting as the titular hero turned suspect, while Sam Rockwell stole every single scene he appeared in. But in all honesty, when is that not the case?
Kathy Bates got an Oscar nomination for her emotionally charged work as Jewell’s mother, while Olivia Wilde and Jon Hamm were both perfectly amoral as the reporter and special agent in charge, respectively.
Available on Blu-ray/DVD and via various streaming providers.
Richard Jewell Movie Review by Nick Clement
Our Rating
Summary
Richard Jewell is a potent reminder of the constant failings of the United States government, and a chilling portrait of an event that could have turned out a lot worse had Jewell not acted in the manner that he did.
