Director Clint Eastwood continues to show a steady hand at delivering engaging character dramas with his latest work Richard Jewell, a biographical drama film that highlights the titular security guard who discovered the bomb at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Initially hailed as a hero for helping to prevent further casualties, Richard is soon vilified by the mass media after they find out he is on the FBI’s suspect list.
Actor Paul Walter Hauser does an excellent job by capturing Richard’s social awkwardness and complete deference to law enforcement; although Richard is a bit weird and naïve, he is by no means stupid. His unassuming lawyer Watson Bryant is played solidly by Sam Rockwell who treats his client as a human being. Kathy Bates also puts in a strong heartbreaking performance as Richard’s mother, who finds herself increasingly exasperated by the unwanted attention brought on by the media and police.
There are moments of levity in Richard Jewell, thanks to the banter between Watson and Richard as the latter struggles to listen to his lawyer’s instructions. The film’s main weakness is how it treats journalist Kathy Scruggs, whose news article brings about Richard’s downfall. Her cynical character feels like a caricature than a real person. Richard Jewell is not Eastwood’s strongest work, but it is an undeniably compelling film about individuals prevailing against powerful establishments.
by Lim Kuan Keat