Clint Eastwood is one of the most legendary figures of all time in cinema history. His work both in front of and behind the camera is something to which very few have achieved. Later in his life, his directing efforts have not been as successful with films like 15:17 to Paris or Jersey Boys coming out. Can he bring back that Eastwood prestige in his latest film about a true story in Richard Jewell? He certainly does. Richard Jewell is a visceral and thrilling experience that is Clint Eastwood’s best-directed film since American Sniper and a return to form for the cinema legend.
Richard Jewell is based on the true story of the man by the same name. Richard Jewell was a security guard working in Centennial Park during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, GA. He discovered a suspicious package and reported it in what turned out to be a bomb that eventually went off injuring many people. He quickly gains admiration for his heroics but that dissipates in a hurry when the FBI begins to suspect he is the one who planted the bomb and it turns his life in a direction he never anticipated. Being a young person, this is a story I was never aware of so I did not know all the ins and outs of this mess. Fortunately, it was in good hands. Clint Eastwood expertly takes us through this man’s journey from hero to wrongfully accused so smoothly you can’t even tell when the shift happened. Suddenly you realize all the positive attention this man was receiving has slowly morphed into negative attention. It happens so naturally due to the pacing of the film where every moment feels fully lived in and every character doesn’t feel as if they are forgotten. It honors the man without being a puff piece littered with inaccuracies that become one-sided.
Two of the controversies I saw heading into this film had me worried going in. First of all, Clint Eastwood is an openly conservative man. He has made no secret of it and in today’s age, that can be an instant turnoff for some. It has bled over in some of his films where they clearly become tilted in one direction and it has created a stigma around him that I find to be unfair. Fortunately, that is not the case in this film. Here Clint sticks to just telling this man’s story in the most honest way possible. Does the FBI look bad in this film? Absolutely, but, they also wrongfully spent 3 months investigating a man who saved lives instead of the actual bomber. Something else surrounding this film has to do with Olivia Wilde’s portrayal of her character Kathy Scruggs. Specifically, about how her character sleeps with a man in order to get information from him. I personally don’t see an issue with this in the film. She is a woman who uses her body to her advantage in order to get ahead in life, plus, it was consensual. It’s not like there is a huge spotlight put on this matter in the film. It’s one scene in a film based on a true story, people need to really pick their battles.
What is always something truly incredible to see is what Clint Eastwood does when he is handed excellent actors. Here, he brings out the best in them. Paul Walter Hauser plays Richard Jewell himself and this is a star-making performance if I have ever seen one. Paul brings the innocence this man had and the good heart he always held close. To watch Hauser slowly show his character breaking down emotionally with the subtlest of things like a longer pause or a deep breath is the stuff of a seasoned actor. You can tell he was just waiting for his opportunity and he takes full advantage of it. He is supported by Kathy Bates who plays his mother, a woman who feels the effects of her son constantly being scrutinized and the toll it takes on her. She gets one huge moment to shine but whenever she is apart of a scene, it is incredible to see what she does with it. Sam Rockwell, John Hamm, and Olivia Wilde as stated above round out this amazing cast that feels real with their characters and not one is underutilized.
Richard Jewell is one of those films I am fearful will get drowned out in the awards season when it certainly deserves to be in the discussion. Clint Eastwood gets a star turning performance out of Paul Walter Hauser and returns to form as a director after a rather underwhelming 2018. The fact that this man has put out three films in two years at 89 years old is nothing short of remarkable and every movie he puts out I will see in the theater.
The Verdict