Richard Jewell Movie Review

Richard Jewell (2019)

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Written by: Billy Ray (written by), Marie Brenner (based upon the article "American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell" by), Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen (based upon the book "The Suspect" by)
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Based on a true story, American security guard Richard Jewell saved many 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.

Verdict
This is a great look at how media affects perception and perception is reality. It's easy to see how the media and FBI reached their erroneous conclusions, but they should have a responsibility to protect the public. I kept wondering how this was going to end as the conclusion was fast approaching. This does the least amount it can to conclude the story and doesn't even explicitly condemn the FBI and the media for what happened. I wanted the ending to have more punch.
It depends.

Review
The movie starts by introducing us to Richard. He's motivated and determined, but just doesn't seem to have the skills to be a police officer. His first scene depicts him as a storeroom clerk, next we seem him get fired from college security because he's overstepping his boundaries and pulling people over on the highway. He's read the books on how to be a cop but isn't able to apply that knowledge. He craves the position, and it almost seems like he hopes the position will give him the authority he desires. He was fired from the sheriff's office, though we don't know why. Richard seems like he's not all that smart, but he disproves that a couple of times.

Richard is a bit annoying. He's one of those know it alls that is playing at being a cop, but he can't cut it. It's not just a backpack, it's a suspicious package. He has the knowledge and tends to show that off frequently.
He's working security at Centennial Park and sees a suspicious backpack. The cops think he is overreacting, but they agree to call it in. It turns out Richard's suspicions were well founded. He and the cops try to clear the area because it is a bomb. The movie doesn't play up the explosion, it really catches you off guard.

Richard being the guy that found the backpack, news stations want to talk to him. He's a hero. He dismisses the title, stating that many people were involved and in more dangerous positions, but since he found the package he's at the epicenter.

It's easy to see why the FBI thought he was a suspect. The person that finds a bomb is always the first person you clear, but it's obvious that Richard was desperate to be a cop. How far would he go to obtain the position?

Jon Hamm plays FBI agent Tom Shaw.

How the reporter got the lead is a disservice. It plays into a sexist stereotype of women trading sex to succeed. There were numerous ways the movie could have done that plot point differently, and the movie got a lot of criticism for it (and rightly so).
Discovering Richard is a suspect the media want a salacious headline. Unfortunately the more you learn about Richard, the more it seems like he is a credible suspect. Richard's past misdeeds make it easy for the media to depict him as the villain, and that's a logical conclusion.

The other side of this is the FBI lying to Richard and trying to get him to confess. It's Richard's knowledge of procedure that prevents the FBI from railroading him.
It's unclear if the FBI is playing into the media hype to cover up the fact they leaked the information or if Richard is their only suspect. He's certainly a person of interest, but the FBI aren't portrayed well. They seem to want Richard's confession because the media is pushing the story. The FBI turns his life and house upside down and find nothing. The lead agent still claims Richard is guilty, but this just feels forced. Is the agent digging in because he refuses to admit fault or has no other leads?

I began wondering where this movie goes. It's tapping into common themes of how dangerous law enforcement leaks and the media headlines can be, but that's nothing new. It's an easy theme.

Paul Walter Hauser plays Richard Jewell.

The conclusion is underwhelming. This is the kind of movie where I expected text noting that the FBI never admitted fault and that the newspaper had to print a retraction, but we get none of that. We know they were wrong, but the movie doesn't wrap that up.

The movie doesn't cover this, but several news stations settled out of court for their coverage of Richard. The Atlanta Newspaper depicted in the movie didn't settle and ultimately won the case with a judge ruling that what they printed was true at the time.

The college in the movie also settled out of court for providing false information. The FBI did release a statement in essence admitting their fault in pursuing Richard as a suspect. Knowing what actually happened, it's even more confusing as to  why the movie didn't have the 'where are they now' text at the end. The Atlanta newspaper ruling opens a new argument but also underscores the point of the movie. The newspaper caused great harm and got away with it. Consumers of news have to be careful.