Richard Jewell (dir Clint Eastwood) is my early contender for film of the year. Yes, its very early and the sample size is still in the low single digits, but this is the best of the bunch by far. Its enthralling, engrossing, and enjoyable. I think you should give it a go, you won’t be disappointed. Actually, I can’t promise you that as I don’t know what you like, but I think it’s pretty terrific.
Richard Jewell follows the story of the eponymous main character who is a simple, overweight want-to-be-cop who found an explosive device at the Atlanta Olympics and instead of being a hero was crucified by the media for being the suspected bomber.
Peter Walter Hauser stars as Jewell and puts in a hell of a performance as a kind, naive man who in an attempt to help the police do their job keeps digging the hole deeper and deeper for himself.
Thematically, the film constantly plays with the idea of appearance and assumption. The FBI created a suspect profile and regardless of any evidence to the contrary, they believed they had their man. The overwhelming confirmation bias around his appearance because he looked like someone that would do it that he must be guilty.
Kathy Scruggs, played by Olivia Wilde, (who suffers from the Brad Pitt disease, being so damn good looking you disregard how good the acting is), is an unscrupulous reporter who is trying to leverage her looks to get onto a TV news show and knows that what bleeds, leads, so she jumps on the chance to throw Jewell under the bus.
There are powerhouse performances from everyone on the cast. Richards mum, or in this case, mom, Bobbie (Kathy Bates) appears so broken and vulnerable from all the stress and pressure that is being put on her son. Comically underrated Sam Rockwell shines as Jewell’s lawyer Watson Bryant. He plays an amazing cynical foil to Hauser’s innocence. Their chemistry carries the film.
This is based on a true story so I imagine they have taken some liberties with the story to make it more exciting but the idea that we are so quick to judge or dismiss someone based on a cursory glance still holds true. I know it rings home for me, as a tall and skinny kid I was immediately thought of as dumb and unintelligent, so I am fully aware of the type of contempt lobbed at Jewell throughout the movie.
This film is a testament to what good writing, good direction, and a great cast can do for a movie. These films are being produced less and less because people aren’t going out to watch them. Martin Scorsese recently talked about how Marvel films are not cinema, I disagree with his specifics but I understand his intention.
Big effects-driven blockbusters are great, but so are these smaller more personal films, so the people complaining about only have blockbusters to watch can only blame themselves for less and less of these sorts of films being made if they don’t go out and support them. Hollywood, I believe, does care about the art of cinema, but they also care that the art makes money and we as consumers vote with our wallets so take a stand and check out this film, I really enjoyed it.
23 January 2020
By Luke McMeeken-Ruscoe