For many of us middle aged, the memories of the Azaria Chamberlain tragedy and subsequent injustice applied to her mother Lindy in 1980 are still vivid. As a 17 YO at the time and in Army basic training in Wagga Wagga, I too was being influenced by the incessant bias of the tabloids and television. Once the truth came out, it had me and many other Australians never trusting the media again.
At the start of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics a pipe bomb was detonated in the city during a celebratory concert. It killed 2 people and injured another 100. Security guard Richard Jewell was there and after alerting police of a suspicious back pack, was involved in getting the crowd to safety before the explosion. He was an instant hero but was soon to become a suspect due to the ineptness of the FBI.
Like Chamberlain, Jewell’s quirky nature was preyed upon by both the government and the media. He is somewhat of a simpleton, obsessed by law enforcement, armed to the teeth (not unusual in the US especially in the south), is overweight and lives with his loving mother played superbly by Kathy Bates. The FBI’s evidence is non-existent and the accusation is based on nothing more than perception and judgement. With the help of a lawyer played by Sam Rockwell, he eventually fights back.
Producer and Director Clint Eastwood has put together another excellent film in his inimitable easy to understand style. Paul Walter Hauser does a very good job as the main character and has a remarkable likeness to the real Jewell. Olivia Wilde perhaps over-plays the scurrilous and promiscuous reporter and John Hamm seemingly plays exactly the same role he did in The Town, as the incompetent FBI agent.
The star power comes from Kathy Bates in a deserved Oscar nominated role and from Sam Rockwell who I admit have an enormous man crush on. If you’re not familiar with Rockwell I can thoroughly recommend the following movies because this man is just awesome. From the idiocy of Star Quest to his Oscar winning performance in 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, his “laid back intensity” always delivers.
Richard Jewell is a very entertaining film that highlights once again why it pays to take anything governments and media tell us with a healthy dose of scepticism. 8.5/10
Just on Clint Eastwood, it’s hard to believe he is still making quality films at the ripe old age of 89! He’s an extraordinary artist and I can’t help think given his longevity and strength, he’s pretty much played himself in movies. I’ll leave this blog with some classic Clint quotes.
