Post by Rob W. Case on May 14, 2020 22:07:21 GMT -6
Whenever you hear or read about someone in the media, what do you think happens to that person you’re reading about? With perceptions formulating in your mind about that person based on what you read and perhaps hear all around you, how do you think all of that affects that person? In an age where fake news, political slander, and censorship of real facts inundates the American media, this film, based on a true story, takes you up close and personal to the private life of a “regular joe” who lived a private hell because all of the above was leveled towards him.
The Story:
The film begins in 1986, in a Georgia based law firm, with a simple act of compassion. Lawyer Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell) meets Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser), the supply room clerk who fills his desk drawer with Snickers bars, because he knows that Bryant likes them. The two strike up an interesting conversation, and even end up playing arcade games together on their breaks. It is not long though before Richard takes another job as a security guard.
Fast Forward to 1996:
Richard works as a campus security guard at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia, but takes his job so seriously, that the college president thinks that Richard is going overboard in doing his job. And so, Richard is fired. Living at home with his mother Bobi (Kathy Bates), and needing to pull income into the house, Richard’s friend Dave (Niko Nicotera) tells him that there may be an opportunity for him as a security guard at the Summer Olympics, which will take place in Atlanta. So, Richard gets a job as a security guard, guarding a five-story sound and light tower at Centennial Park. Upon executing his job, things begin relatively well, but Richard is suspicious about every backpack and odd look that he encounters. At the same time, an FBI agent by the name of Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm) is assigned to cover the concerts, and Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde), a reporter sent by the Atlanta-Journal constitution, is sent to cover the event, which she is very unhappy about. The music and the festivities begin, and Jewell makes his rounds, scouting and roaming the premises. In his pursuit to chase kids out who are near the tower drinking, he finds a backpack left under a bench. Expecting the worst, he thinks that it should be inspected by a bomb squad. He tries to get everyone around his area to evacuate, but they think he’s way overreacting, and many disregard his warnings. Not long later, a bomb threat is called in, but they don’t know whether to take it seriously. As Richard is insistent on getting a bomb squad to investigate the backpack, he gets one. When one of the bomb experts sees three pipe bombs tied together, they go all out to try to get people to evacuate. The bomb goes off, shooting nails and glass everywhere, killing one person and injuring 111.
Richard Jewell is praised as a hero, at first, but a tip from the FBI agent to reporter Kathy Scruggs suggests that Richard might have planted the bomb in Centennial Park. Fitting the profile of a “hero bomber” (a bomber that they were looking for, who would create terror situations, and then pretend to be a hero who was thwarting them), the fact that Jewell wanted to get into law enforcement, knew how to make a bomb, and was so heavily insistent on checking the backpack, raises suspicions that he could be the one who best fits that profile. Scruggs mentions this in the paper, and it is not long before the national media as a whole begin looking at Richard Jewell under a microscope, and with a long list of suspicious assumptions and presumptions about him. The national news media crowds his home day and night, and the FBI comes in, first to try and trick Jewell into making a confession on video, telling him that they want him to “play a bomber” for “a training video that they are making for law enforcement”, before they investigate. And so, Jewell’s instincts of suspicion kicks in, and he calls his buddy Bryant Wyatt to help him out, explaining the situation, which from there, he gets involved with. The FBI then goes through the Jewell’s trash, and every area of their home, confiscating guns, children’s videos (that Bobbi would use when she babysat kids), Bobbi’s Tupperware collection, and so forth. Every day of accusatory questions, tones, suspicions instigated by the media becomes a private hell for Richard Jewell, his mother, and for Bryant Wyatt, who sticks around for the long haul. And so, the tedious challenge at hand is trying to clear an innocent person’s name and reputation, while a thick and heavy cloud of falsehoods, accusations, suspicions, and negative assumptions bombard and bog down that person’s life in the meantime.
My Take:
The thing I liked most about this movie is that there is so much going in terms of the drama and suspense involved, that it keeps you captivated, intrigued, and inquisitive about what is going to happen next, especially if you are unfamiliar with the story in any way. Since this is a Clint Eastwood film, Clint has a compelling way of covering fascinating and interesting stories, and bringing glory where glory is due. For me, I remember the 1996 Olympic bombing as an event that was covered live on national news. But I was unfamiliar with the depth and back story concerning Richard Jewell, especially to the degree that it has been written or portrayed in this film. Another component about this movie that I found interesting is that it portrays Richard as a faithful and kindhearted fellow whose naivete and yearning to help out makes him vulnerable in many areas, and that vulnerability was seen as something to exploit in hopes to set a trap and close a case by the FBI. That said, it sends a wakeup call to people to know their rights, and not to relinquish them, thinking that the government is “your friend.” And while there was a lot of controversy surrounding how AJC reporter Kathy Scruggs got the information about Jewell in this movie, it is not a critical enough detail to derail the plot or overall story that it’s telling. The casting in this movie is also amazing, most notably Academy Award Winner Kathy Bates as Bobbi, who re-enacts with such intensity the moment where the real Bobbi Jewell breaks down in front of the nation, on camera, pleading for the President of the United States to “clear her son.” What I also thought was interesting was that Bobbi Jewell got emotional and teary eyed as she saw this film as a vindication for her son.
Out of 4 stars, I give Richard Jewell 4 stars.
The film is rated R and runs 2 hours and 11 minutes.
To view a trailer for the movie, please click on the “Play” button below.
Richard Jewell is available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and on various streaming sites. It is also available to rent or buy at Redbox kiosk machines everywhere.
The Story:
The film begins in 1986, in a Georgia based law firm, with a simple act of compassion. Lawyer Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell) meets Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser), the supply room clerk who fills his desk drawer with Snickers bars, because he knows that Bryant likes them. The two strike up an interesting conversation, and even end up playing arcade games together on their breaks. It is not long though before Richard takes another job as a security guard.
Fast Forward to 1996:
Richard works as a campus security guard at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia, but takes his job so seriously, that the college president thinks that Richard is going overboard in doing his job. And so, Richard is fired. Living at home with his mother Bobi (Kathy Bates), and needing to pull income into the house, Richard’s friend Dave (Niko Nicotera) tells him that there may be an opportunity for him as a security guard at the Summer Olympics, which will take place in Atlanta. So, Richard gets a job as a security guard, guarding a five-story sound and light tower at Centennial Park. Upon executing his job, things begin relatively well, but Richard is suspicious about every backpack and odd look that he encounters. At the same time, an FBI agent by the name of Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm) is assigned to cover the concerts, and Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde), a reporter sent by the Atlanta-Journal constitution, is sent to cover the event, which she is very unhappy about. The music and the festivities begin, and Jewell makes his rounds, scouting and roaming the premises. In his pursuit to chase kids out who are near the tower drinking, he finds a backpack left under a bench. Expecting the worst, he thinks that it should be inspected by a bomb squad. He tries to get everyone around his area to evacuate, but they think he’s way overreacting, and many disregard his warnings. Not long later, a bomb threat is called in, but they don’t know whether to take it seriously. As Richard is insistent on getting a bomb squad to investigate the backpack, he gets one. When one of the bomb experts sees three pipe bombs tied together, they go all out to try to get people to evacuate. The bomb goes off, shooting nails and glass everywhere, killing one person and injuring 111.
Richard Jewell is praised as a hero, at first, but a tip from the FBI agent to reporter Kathy Scruggs suggests that Richard might have planted the bomb in Centennial Park. Fitting the profile of a “hero bomber” (a bomber that they were looking for, who would create terror situations, and then pretend to be a hero who was thwarting them), the fact that Jewell wanted to get into law enforcement, knew how to make a bomb, and was so heavily insistent on checking the backpack, raises suspicions that he could be the one who best fits that profile. Scruggs mentions this in the paper, and it is not long before the national media as a whole begin looking at Richard Jewell under a microscope, and with a long list of suspicious assumptions and presumptions about him. The national news media crowds his home day and night, and the FBI comes in, first to try and trick Jewell into making a confession on video, telling him that they want him to “play a bomber” for “a training video that they are making for law enforcement”, before they investigate. And so, Jewell’s instincts of suspicion kicks in, and he calls his buddy Bryant Wyatt to help him out, explaining the situation, which from there, he gets involved with. The FBI then goes through the Jewell’s trash, and every area of their home, confiscating guns, children’s videos (that Bobbi would use when she babysat kids), Bobbi’s Tupperware collection, and so forth. Every day of accusatory questions, tones, suspicions instigated by the media becomes a private hell for Richard Jewell, his mother, and for Bryant Wyatt, who sticks around for the long haul. And so, the tedious challenge at hand is trying to clear an innocent person’s name and reputation, while a thick and heavy cloud of falsehoods, accusations, suspicions, and negative assumptions bombard and bog down that person’s life in the meantime.
My Take:
The thing I liked most about this movie is that there is so much going in terms of the drama and suspense involved, that it keeps you captivated, intrigued, and inquisitive about what is going to happen next, especially if you are unfamiliar with the story in any way. Since this is a Clint Eastwood film, Clint has a compelling way of covering fascinating and interesting stories, and bringing glory where glory is due. For me, I remember the 1996 Olympic bombing as an event that was covered live on national news. But I was unfamiliar with the depth and back story concerning Richard Jewell, especially to the degree that it has been written or portrayed in this film. Another component about this movie that I found interesting is that it portrays Richard as a faithful and kindhearted fellow whose naivete and yearning to help out makes him vulnerable in many areas, and that vulnerability was seen as something to exploit in hopes to set a trap and close a case by the FBI. That said, it sends a wakeup call to people to know their rights, and not to relinquish them, thinking that the government is “your friend.” And while there was a lot of controversy surrounding how AJC reporter Kathy Scruggs got the information about Jewell in this movie, it is not a critical enough detail to derail the plot or overall story that it’s telling. The casting in this movie is also amazing, most notably Academy Award Winner Kathy Bates as Bobbi, who re-enacts with such intensity the moment where the real Bobbi Jewell breaks down in front of the nation, on camera, pleading for the President of the United States to “clear her son.” What I also thought was interesting was that Bobbi Jewell got emotional and teary eyed as she saw this film as a vindication for her son.
Out of 4 stars, I give Richard Jewell 4 stars.
The film is rated R and runs 2 hours and 11 minutes.
To view a trailer for the movie, please click on the “Play” button below.
Richard Jewell is available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and on various streaming sites. It is also available to rent or buy at Redbox kiosk machines everywhere.