Review:
"Richard Jewell"
Release Date: Dec. 13, 2019
Rating: R Running Time: 131 minutes Clint Eastwood knows two wrongs do not make a right. But does the director of the inflammatory fact-based drama Richard Jewell care? With Richard Jewell, Eastwood and credited screenwriter Billy Ray’s goal is to restore the reputation of the security guard who was first hailed as a hero, then considered a suspect by the FBI, of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. However, Eastwood and Ray’s efforts to solidify Jewell’s hero status involves the ill-advised tarnishing of the memory of the late Kathy Scruggs, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reporter who broke the news story that Jewell was under FBI investigation. Played by Olivia Wilde, Scruggs is depicted as a boozy floozy who is shown offering to trade sex for information with Jon Hamm’s composite character, FBI Agent Tom Shaw. While it is fact that the FBI leaked the information, it is one thing to take to issue with Scruggs and the Atlanta-Journal Constitution for publishing the story that led to Jewell’s public vilification days after he discovered the bomb and helped evacuate Centennial Olympic Park. But is no evidence that Scruggs, who died in 2001 at age 42, slept with sources before, during, or after she wrote about Jewell. To suggest otherwise not only plays into the erroneous belief that all reporters will happily violate ethical standards to obtain vital information but perpetuates the myth that a woman must use sex to get what she wants or needs. Sorry, but this is not a case of having “a hard time accepting sexuality in female characters without allowing it to entirely define that character,” as Wilde recently told The Hollywood Reporter. Not only is portraying Scruggs in this fashion an insult to her memory, her professionalism, and journalism as a whole, but it proves to be a major distraction in Eastwood and Ray’s bid to depict Jewell’s supposed trial by media. In fairness to Eastwood and Ray, Richard Jewell acknowledges the regret Scruggs felt in the wake of Jewell being raked across the coals. But it does not offset the harm they do to Scruggs. And the approach Eastwood and Ray take prevents them from undertaking a clear and methodical deconstruction of how a major newspaper tackles a story of national importance. All we get are a handful of laughable scenes that reveal no idea of how a newsroom works. Or perhaps going behind closed doors of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution is not of real interest to noted conservative Eastwood. He leaves us with the impression that he is feeding into President Trump’s constant rallying against “fake news” outlets. Eastwood is much more content depicting the media as jackals stalking Jewell than understand the process of news gathering. On the other hand, Eastwood and Ray succeed in presenting Jewell as an innocent victim whose life was forever changed by a rush to judgment. Jewell died in 2007 at age 44, a decade after being exonerated of the bombing that was eventually attributed to domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph. I, Tonya’s Paul Walter Hauser provokes nothing but genuine sympathy for a man who just wants to serve and to protect, only to find himself targeted by the men and women whom he looks up to and admires without question. By the time Richard Jewell ends, it is hard not to look at Jewell and not see a wronged man who handled a terrible situation the best he could. Sure, Hauser fleetingly reveals the strain Jewell finds himself under, but he otherwise maintains a respectful and sunny demeanor even as Jewell is dragged through the mud by the FBI. At times, it is hard to get a handle on Jewell. The FBI treats Jewell as a joke and exploits his deep respect for authority without hesitation in order to advance its investigation. And, more often than not, Jewell is his own worst enemy. He seems somewhat naïve at times as he is grilled by the FBI and at other times he is acutely aware of what he is going through. As a former (and future) deputy sheriff, Jewell can cite laws and general investigation procedures off the top of his head. It is a contradiction that Richard Jewell embraces and explores with confidence. If Jewell never displays absolute anger at any time, his lawyer Watson Bryant is not one to hold back his emotions. As the fiery Bryant, Rockwell gives voice to the righteous indignation that Eastwood and Ray—by hook or crook—stir within the viewer. And Bryant is the perfect substitute for Eastwood, given his distrust of the government. It is also impossible not to feel the distress Jewell’s mother Barbara "Bobi" Jewell experiences throughout her son’s ordeal. As Bobi, Kathy Bates creates an unbreakable bond between mother and son that provides Richard Jewell with the strength to fight back against his accusers. Needless to say, Richard Jewell—which is based on Marie Brenner’s Vanity Fair article “American Tragedy: The Ballad of Richard Jewell” —depicts the FBI’s investigation against its possible bombing suspect as flimsy at best, laughable at worst. Per Eastwood and Ray, the FBI hounded Jewell because he fit the profile of a white male with an ax to grind. And, in the film, the FBI never connects Jewell to the bombing by way of evidence. FBI Agent Tom Shaw’s dogged pursuit of Jewell is presented as misguided and vindictive. Meanwhile, as Jewell states several times, the actual bomber is still out and could be plotting his next target. The point is well taken given that Eric Rudolph would go on to commit three more bombings before being caught in 2003. Like its subject, Richard Jewellseethes with quiet anger. Eastwood always maintains a sober tone from start to finish, even when he is recreating the horrific bombing that killed two people and injured 111 others. There is no doubt that the FBI wrongly targeted Jewell. And that Jewell was fortunate enough to pick up the broken pieces of life (he was a deputy sheriff at the time of his death). Unfortunately, it is a shame that Eastwood and Ray see no other way to celebrate the actions of a mistreated hero than to commit a heinous act of character assassination. Robert Sims Aired: Dec. 12, 2019 Web sites: https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/richard-jewell https://www.facebook.com/RichardJewellFilm/ |
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