Genre: Drama
Runtime: 131 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde
Description: American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely reported that he was a terrorist.
Review: During the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 a bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park. Security guard Richard Jewell was the big hero who prevents a blood bath. At least for the first couple of days. On day four, the Atlanta Journal reports that the discoverer of the bomb is most likely to be the bomber.
Jewell went from hero to culprit in just a few days and whole America condemned him. Richard Jewell is a typical hero for a Clint Eastwood film: American, taunted and forgotten. And on the big screen he is both adjustable and distant.
Richard Jewell is an everyday man, chubby, always wants to do the right thing and living with his mother. He likes to talk and please. But above all Jewell wants to be a part of law enforcement. Preferably as a police officer, but campus officer or security guard will do too. As long as he can use his compulsive sense of justice to protect others. Nobody really takes him seriously though. As seen while working as a security guard during the Olympics at Centennial Park. First when he is trying to talk to some teens that are breaking beer bottles. But when he discovers an unmanned backpack, he alarms the cops at the scene. They think it's nothing, but it eventually turns out there is a bomb inside. Because of Jewell acting so quickly, many lives were saved after the bomb goes off.
Jewell is seen as the hero of the day, people already want to write books about him. But on day four his life completely changes, when he is all of a sudden the main suspect in the case.
When we see Jewell at the start, we can see that he is a good person at heart. Making sure his boss gets his supplies and Snickers. But him being a loner and overly-interested in everything that has to do with law enforcement makes him look suspicious.
The movie makes you believe that Richard Jewell is a hero and not the criminal the press and FBI make him out to be. But there is still this feeling of what if he did do it?
It’s first and foremost the cast that makes this film so good, touching and strong. Paul Walter Hauser, a fairly unknown actor to me, takes on the role of the titular character and makes him layered and human. Kathy Bates plays his mother and is solid and convincing as always. Olivia Wilde is also very good in her role as journalist breaking the story. But it’s Sam Rockwell that leaves the biggest impression. He is a sympathetic character, since he is the only one that has ever really listened to Jewell and took him seriously. And he does everything to help Jewell and proof his innocence. Because he simply believes it.
I think the story has been brushed up a bit, for Hollywood’s sake, but overall “Richard Jewell” is an incredibly gripping story and it has some really good performances.
Rating: 4 / 5
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