Dear readers, I wanted to let you know that I will be taking a brief āleave of absenceā from my duties here at the Sun Day News. My next column will appear in the first issue of our March publications.
I have seen virtually every Clint Eastwood movie that he has acted in or directed. I watch them for several reasons, first they are always terrific films and I can rest assured that despite the rating there will be little or no profanity, nudity or useless sex scenes. Richard Jewell is an exception. From the āopening bellā there is a steady stream of profanity and blasphemous language. That took the starch out of the enjoyment I got from a great story filled with fine performances. For whatever reason the most important and poignant scene in the movie was free of language issues, which helped some. And, ironically the much-maligned Richard Jewell was the only character who didnāt curse.
This is a true story, which most of us recall. During the 1996 Summer Olympics, held in Atlanta, a terrorist bomb went off in the heart of Centennial Park. Jewell, played by Paul Walter Hauser, was a security guard on duty that night at the park. He discovered the knapsack containing the bomb, and through his efforts hundreds of lives were saved before the bomb went off. For several days he was lauded as a hero, interviewed on national TV etc. Through it all he remained humble, āI was just doing my job.ā
Richard Jewell
Entertainment Rating: ★★★★
Rating: R: consistent profanity and blasphemy throughout
Possible Oscar Nominations: Best Actor, Paul Walter Hauser, Best Supporting Actress, Cathy Bates
The FBI begins their investigation, can find no physical evidence to link to the crime, and through their brainstorming sessions decide that Richard Jewell had to be the one who placed the bomb, so he could become a hero. They go to great lengths to create a personality profile that fits their needs, and apply it to Jewell. In an extremely disturbing moment, the lead FBI investigator āleaksā the name of the supposed perpetrator to a young, attractive newspaper reporter as she seduces him. The next day the front-page story in the Atlanta paper accuses Jewell of being the bomber, and of course it goes āviral.ā From that moment forward Richard Jewellās life is torn to shreds.
Throughout the story, there are only two people who believe Richard is innocent. His attorney Watson Bryant, played by Sam Rockwell, and his mother Bobi Jewell, played by Cathy Bates. Bates gives an outstanding performance, probably her best since Fried Green Tomatoes. This is a compelling story of unrighteous persecution and eventual vindication. It leaves two questions:
1) Clint, why did you find it necessary to fill the movie with unnecessary profanity?
2) Can the FBI really be trusted?
In a week weāll be celebrating Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful day, and a Happy New Year. See you next March.
