'Richard Jewell' - An Earnest Look at an Unlikely Hero and a Compelling Critique of the Law Enforcement and Press

To be one of the oldest directors in Hollywood and be one of the most consistently hardworking filmmakers there is, we gotta give Clint Eastwood some kudos for that feat. His career varied from Western films to even romance and drama. But lately, he's been into championing America. What it means to be an American--from heroes to the authority, from press to the society.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

In his latest, he puts one of the most unassuming heroes of the recent generation. Richard Jewell, a security guard who reports finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games bombing, saving countless lives in the process, only to be hunted by law enforcement as their suspect.

Richard Jewell is one of Eastwood's more competent outing after some of his slightly forgettable ones like The Mule and Sully. The subject is way more fascinating, and the narrative is lightning fast. The ensemble consisting of Paul Walter Hauser, Kathy Bates, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, and Sam Rockwell are all terrific.

The film also tackles several themes. While earnestly painting Jewell as a hero, Eastwood also magnifies the imperfections of law enforcement and media in handling this tragedy during its time. Its depiction of media, however, is a bit excessive especially in how it portrayed the real-life journalist Kathy Scruggs, who's not alive to tell her side of the story. For a film that critiques the way the press, specifically Scruggs, handled their information, screenwriter Billy Ray isn't also that modest in taking way too many liberties with the character.

In the end, its strengths overshadow its major flaw. Eastwood clearly is about expressing the value of good intentions. Richard Jewell's argument about focusing in protecting the community rather than persecuting someone for the sake of reputation is a big and valuable resolution. It's the one that sticks out and it's the film's most important lesson.