Richard Jewell: Hero or Suspect?

Richard Jewell is the seventh-movie-in-a-row for director Clint Eastwood about real people.

Richard Jewell was released on March 17. Viewers can try Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on March 3.

JEWELL

Clint Eastwood is 89-years-old. For such a long career, there is bound to be some good, bad and the alright.

While his previous work, The Mule, made about a cool $186 million worldwide, Richard Jewell stopped around $44 million.

Critics appeared to be a lot more favourable towards the movie with a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. The American Film Institute called it one of the Top 10 movies of 2019. The National Board of Review Awards agreed and also awarded Kathy Bates for Best Supporting Actress, and Paul Walter Hauser won Best Breakthrough Performance.

The Academy Awards and Golden Globes nominated Bates for Best Supporting Actress, as well.    

Richard Jewell is based on the true story of the 1996 Olympic Games bombing in Atlanta. The film stars Sam Rockwell as Watson Bryant and Kathy Bates as Richard's mom, Bobi. The movie also stars Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde and Paul Walter Hauser as Richard.

The screenplay was by Oscar nominee Billy Ray. The basis of the story came from the Vanity Fair article, 'American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell.' Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill may be the surprising names getting producing credits.           

Richard Jewell is rated R for language, some sexual references and brief bloody images.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes.

Of Eastwood's last few movies, this is easily so much better than The 15:17 to Paris.

The strong acting from the cast. Richard's compelling story of being wrongfully accused that I was not familiar with at all.

It is a dramatized movie, so of course, people will argue it is not 100% accurate. There was much controversy of Olivia Wilde's journalist Kathy Scruggs (also a real person, but she passed away in 2001.) With the implications, Kathy would do a certain kind of 'trade' to get close to the story. (The debates still show up today on the first page of Google results.)

The film is about 132 minutes. The first 20 minutes are a bit slow as they set up the characters. And also show Richard's unusual and quirky behaviour as a security guard on a college campus, which gets him fired, but will grab a different kind of attention later on.

When things move on to the Olympics and Richard's discovery of a mysterious backpack with a bomb in Centennial Park - is where the momentum picks up speed. While people died, and many were injured, everyone agrees Richard saved many more lives that night with his actions.

But with such a worldwide event, people want answers very quickly. So, hearing a little bit of information, the FBI and the media make a quick assumption and jump to the conclusion, well, Richard must have been involved. He becomes the number one suspect.

Paul Walter Hauser is impressive as Richard. His behaviour may be a little off-putting at first, but I kind of warm-up to the character throughout the movie. Sam Rockwell and Kathy Bates were also stand-outs with their roles.

(In the special features, Richard's actual mother, couldn't believe how much Paul looked like her son.)

Nevertheless, I think at 89-years-old, Clint Eastwood still proves he has what it takes to run a movie production.               

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The Making of Richard Jewell (6 minutes, 58 seconds.)

- Clint Eastwood talks about why he wanted to do the story. The production strived for much accuracy as they could. They filmed at the real Centennial Park in Atlanta. The outside views of where Bobi and Richard Jewell live - was where they did live in real-life. The actors talk about being part of the production.

The Real Story of Richard Jewell (6 minutes, 39 seconds.)

- The true Bobi Jewell and Winston Bryant talk about their thoughts of Richard and the movie. The cast talks about the pressures of playing real people.

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The Mule: Eastwood's Screen Return

The Mule is inspired by a true story.

It’s Clint Eastwood’s first time as actor and director in 10 years. The last was Gran Torino (2008).

The Mule arrived on April 2. It’s on everything from the 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, the Blu-Ray Combo Pack and DVD. The Digital format appeared early on March 19.

TRUE

The Mule released in late 2018, continues Clint Eastwood’s streak of true story themed films to six-in-a-row. (The 15:17 To Paris, Sully, American Sniper, Jersey Boys and J.Edgar.)

The Mule, obviously, isn’t a fact-based tale but takes inspiration from the story of World War II veteran Leo Sharp. He became a drug courier in his 80s for the Sinaloa Cartel. Mr. Sharp was even a subject of a New York Times story.

Stats say the film is a rebound for the 88-year-old Eastwood.

The Mule scored a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and banked over $168 million at the worldwide box office. The 15:17 to Paris - released earlier in 2018 - appears to be deemed a miss by many with only $57 million worldwide and a low 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Oscar-winner Eastwood directed and starred alongside a cast of fellow Oscar nominees from Bradley Cooper (his follow-up to A Star Is Born), Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest and Andy Garcia.        

The screenplay is by Nick Schenk.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes - eventually.

If you liked anything by Clint Eastwood, it is certainly worth the look. He has not been acting since 2012’s Trouble With the Curve.

Is it the best picture quality movie? Maybe not. But the story carried by Mr. Eastwood drew me in.

Eastwood plays Earl Stone, who is not by any means a pleasant man. A man who tended to put work above everything else. To the point, he didn’t show up for his own daughter’s wedding (Played by Clint’s real daughter, Alison.) Eventually, when it seems like everything is going wrong, Earl is offered a job that simply requires him to drive.

But he soon realizes he is a drug courier for the cartel. The more he decides to drive. The more complications.

Bradley Cooper is a supporting character this round, after doing the heavy lifting in A Star is Born and even Eastwood's American Sniper. He partners with Michael Peña. Cooper is DEA agent Colin Bates. And Agent Bates investigation may uncover more than he expected.         

Overall, it is a Clint Eastwood movie. Clint still has the acting chops after all these years being offscreen. The rest of the supporting cast handles well from the family drama scenes to the menacing cartel, to the DEA investigation, to just Clint driving.  

It is an R film, too. Besides a small risqué sequence - there’s the usual coarse language, drug talk and threats of violence expected in a 116-minute story called The Mule.

It may not be Oscar-worthy overall, but out of Clint’s 2018 work - I pick The Mule over The 15:17 to Paris.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The DVD only has the Toby Keith music video.  

Nobody Runs Forever: The Making of The Mule (10 minutes, 58 seconds.)

- This is the usual behind-the-scenes reel. Clint Eastwood talks about making the movie. His daughter Alison talks about being in the movie. Even talk about the clothes Clint wears, which are actually from some of his past films.

   

Toby Keith’s Don’t Let the Old Man In Music Video (2 minutes, 52 seconds.)

- The song plays during the end credits of the movie. Toby Keith wondered how Clint Eastwood kept up his schedule and stamina at the age of 88. Clint’s answer - “He said, ‘I just get up every morning and go out. And I don’t let the old man in,’ ” Keith recounts. “And I thought, I’m writing that.” 

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The 15:17 to Paris

Clint Eastwood is still making movies.

Director Eastwood’s last four films have revolved around real people. The 15:17 to Paris makes five-in-a-row. The movie had an early Digital release on May 1. The Blu-ray combo pack and DVD debuts on May 22.

Eastwood’s film career spans over 60 years.

TRUE

All it takes is one moment.

The 15:17 to Paris is the story of three young Americans, how they grew up and became friends. They travel through Europe. They board a train to Paris. A terrorist is on board. There is no doubt what he had in mind.

Those three Americans are U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone. Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler. They will have August 21, 2015, seared into their memories. They turned their experience into a book too. The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes. (Jeffery E. Stern gave some writing help.)

The book offered extra inspiration for the film. The 15:17 to Paris made $56 million worldwide. It didn’t grab the attention of many.

When you compare the last two Clint Eastwood movies, there's a difference. There’s American Sniper with over $547 million worldwide. It also the biggest film of Mr. Eastwood’s entire career. Sully grossed over $240 million.

The 15:17 to Paris did offer a spark with Eastwood’s bold casting choices. There were no big-names to board the train to Paris. Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler, portrayed themselves.

Jenna Fisher, Judy Greer, Ray Corasani, PJ Byrne, Tony Hale and Thomas Lennon, all pop up in small roles. Paul-Mikel Williams, Bruce Gheisar and William Jennings are the kid versions of the heroes.

VERDICT

Would I buy this film? Not at full price. It's kind of like a rainy day selection.

There's always been something to a Clint Eastwood movie. I think no matter what, I would have found a way to see The 15:17 to Paris.

It is an amazing true story. But the delivery isn’t solid. It is not Clint Eastwood at his best. The film still gets a passing mark.

The PG-13 movie has a very laid-back quality. It almost feels like a documentary. Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler are not actors, which is obvious at times, but fine. Points to them for even doing it.

The fact they are not actors though…could also be the whole point.

They were regular guys and they were swept up in an incredible moment.

Parts of the lead-up to the train ride are not exciting to watch. The trip in Europe has conversations centered on pictures, and selfie sticks. And food and travel plans.

The train sequence only fills a handful of minutes in a 94-minute time frame. It is tense though and instantly grabs the attention. (Mark Moogalian, and his wife, Isabelle Risacher Moogalian play themselves on film. Mark was shot during the real event.)

The story has a curiosity factor to watch. The people on the train who helped out, deserve a lot of credit - not only the three Americans.

I wouldn’t put it high on the list of Clint Eastwood movies.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW
Making Every Second Count (8 minutes, 11 seconds)
- Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler give their own spin on what happened on the train. The intriguing part was the input from Mark Moogalian and his wife, Isabelle Risacher Moogalian. They were on the train.

Portrait of Courage (12 minutes)
- Director Eastwood and some of his crew discuss the filming process. They had actually auditioned real actors for the roles. Mr. Eastwood surprised everybody - including the three heroes - by putting them in their own movie. Nobody called the train sequence as acting. It was ‘reliving’ the experience to being cathartic to some.

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