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Richard Jewell (2019)
Rate:
9
Viewed:
8/26
8/26:
After Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood churned out movies
that were either bland, forgettable, or insignificant that I had given up on him.
The obvious reason is: he's old. But there's one that signals a pretty good comeback, and it's called
Richard Jewell. I knew all about the bombing at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and who did it, having
set three more later, besides the double gold by Michael Johnson (psst...he cheated just like
Carl Lewis, Marion Jones, and Usain Bolt) and was impressed that Eric Rudolph managed to elude the government
for seven years, but I had absolutely no idea of Richard Jewell.
It's a very interesting story that's reminiscent of A Cry in the Dark
and Indictment: The McMartin Trial. I can believe
this happened to Richard Jewell because of the false hero narrative. There have been many instances,
and one of the most prominent is John Orr, a fire captain and arson investigator, who investigated almost
2,000 fires in California before the authorities realized he had set them the entire time (see
Point of Origin with Ray Liotta). Oh, yeah...how about these idiots
on the internet who zeroed on the wrong guy during the Boston Marathon bombing because he happened to be
Muslim-looking?
What's impressive is the acting which is of the homely kind. Paul Walter Hauser is so good as the well-meaning
but naïve Georgia cracker that he should've been nominated for an Oscar. Giving that to Kathy Bates is a serious
mistake; she's been virtually the same in almost every single damn film throughout her career. It's a great
job by Sam Rockwell, who failed to win a nomination, as the lawyer. He and Paul Walter Hauser grabbed my
attention from start to finish.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution isn't and has never been a trustworthy newspaper. I wasn't surprised
when one of its reporter fucked up a man's life because she was thirsty for a breakthrough story that would
make her famous. Her name was Kathy Scruggs, and she died of morphine overdose in 2001 at age 42 due to
stress (I'm sure it can't be that bad as compared to what Richard Jewell and his mother went through).
Now, that's what I call "good riddance."
Richard Jewell was ultimately cleared by the FBI and went on to sue The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
NBC News, CNN, the New York Post, and Piedmont College, among others. Most of them settled, but
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution fought the suit and eventually won despite linking Richard Jewell to
Wayne Williams, the Atlanta Child Killer.
All in all, Richard Jewell is among very best films of 2019.