Warner Bros. Pictures
It has been awhile since I enjoyed a Clint Eastwood film. Gran Torino, which was released in 2008, was the last film of his that I was impressed by. Everything after that I found to be mediocre or terrible. I wasn’t really looking forward to Richard Jewell because of his last few outings as a director. Eastwood is known for directing true stories and Richard Jewell tells the story of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing. Paul Walter Hauser stars as Richard Jewell, who initially was deemed a hero after discovering a suspicious backpack under a bench and then alerting authorities. Later, Jewell was considered a prime suspect in the bombing. The cast for Richard Jewell is stacked with Kathy Bates, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, playing Richard’s mother. The film also stars Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, and Sam Rockwell.
Review
The story for Richard Jewell is an interesting one. Paul Walter Hauser gave one of the better performances from last year. He plays a normal guy who takes his job seriously and the media turns on him, leading Hauser to give a very sympathetic performance. Kathy Bates was very deserving of her Oscar nomination as she gave one of the best performances of her career. The film has a good story about how the media can ruin one’s life and it feels very relevant in today’s society. Eastwood put a lot of effort into crafting the story. The film takes its time giving you a clear understanding of who Jewell is and his personality before the bomb goes off. After the events settle down and the media starts to get involved, the film offers a more in depth look at his life with his mother and how the media is turning things around. Rockwell also gives a great performance in the film as a friend of Jewell’s who becomes his attorney after Jewell is falsely accused of the bombing.
Video
Richard Jewell looks great on Blu-ray. Eastwood put a lot of effort into the film to make it look as believable as possible. The set locations and outfits look like they came out of 1996. The transfer captures the smallest details with indoor and outdoor locations. Eastwood lately has been making films with the color a bit darker. The film looks like The Mule, Gran Torino, J. Edgar, and Sully regarding its color palette.
Audio
I found the audio for Richard Jewell to be just fine. I was expecting certain scenes, like the explosion to be loud and intense, but I was underwhelmed by the audio for that moment. The conversations amongst the character were nicely heard.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Special Features
- The Making of Richard Jewell (6:58) – A look at how the production was developed as well as the process of finding shooting locations. Some cast members make an appearance in this short feature.
- The Real Story of Richard Jewell (6:39) – The real-life Bobi Jewell and Watson Bryant talk about the events featured in the film. Some of the cast and crew members return to talk about the film as well.
Overview
Richard Jewell had a brief run in the theaters during the holiday season and I regret not seeing the film in theaters. It performed poorly at the box office, but this film is worth a watch for its acting, pacing, and its visuals. Any fan of Eastwood’s directed films will appreciate Richard Jewell.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes.
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