Richard Jewell - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Richard Jewell



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

Warner Provides The Blu-ray disc for this review

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Movie
I was only 15 years old when the Centennial Park bombing went off, but I still remember huddling around the TV and watching the media go wild over Richard Jewell. It wasn’t until years later that I actually learned he had been vindicated, even though the media spent MONTHS speculating on if he was the bomber or not. Think of it. The MSM spent MONTHS speculating on whether or not the supposed hero of the bombing was the bomber, yet when the FBI dropped their investigation against the man for lack of evidence, almost no one heard about it. There was a few press announcements and PR stunts to show that his name was cleared, but those were barely a blip on the radar after the non-stop assault on him for a full 3 months. Just goes to show that ruining someone’s life is a lot easier than trying to put it back together after you find out it’s wrong.

Back in 1996 during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, a simple security guard named Richard Jewell (played here by Paul Walter Hauser) noticed a lone backpack under a bench at his security post. Instead of heading the lazy advice of co-workers, he called in the backpack as a suspicious package, only for his suspicions to turn up truth. The device was in fact a bomb. A bomb that would detonate just minutes later as he and the rest of the security forces tried to push the congregation of people away from the device. Overnight Richard Jewell became a hero of the nation. He had saved more people from dying, and the simple guy went from being a wannabe cop to in everyone’s eye. That is until the the press got leaked information that the FBI was considering him as a person of interest in the case.

Suddenly a blessing turned into a curse, and Richard’s life turned upside down as the media began to vilify and demonize the man without any evidence. The FBI agents in charge (played by Jon Hamm and Ian Gomez as agents Shaw and Bennet) mishandled the case badly, trying to trick Jewell into waiving his miranda rights in a faux “training video” (yes, this actually happened. A stunt which got Shaw reprimanded and given 5 days unpaid leave...wheeeeee), only for Richard to wise up and hire an attorney. Ironically this attorney turns out to be the only attorney Richard new, a man named Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell), whose specialty was in realty law. Now, as the FBI tries and tries to pin their nonexistent case Richard and Watson are up against not only the federal government, but the court of public opinion as they try and get the man his life back.

I’ve heard it said that Clint Eastwood had an agenda with the film, and I think they’re right. The agenda is pretty much clear as a bright sunny day. Eastwood was intent on giving back Richard Jewell his dignity and reputation back midst a world who mostly only remembers him as “that bombing suspect”, even if he had to do it posthumously. I’ve got to admit that I was a little bit nervous about Clint Eastwood directing another true story film. I mean, he certainly did OK with The Mule, but after the abysmal The 15:17 to Paris I was a bit hesitant. Luckily my fears were wiped away, as Richard Jewell turned out to be one of the better dramas of 2019. It’s tense, well acted, and excellently directed at that.

Casting was spot on perfect this time. With Eastwood behind the camera instead of in front of it, he keeps the focus on Paul Hauser and Sam Rockwell most of the time, and both turn in fantastic performances (I don’t think Sam Rockwell CAN turn in a bad performance in reality). Paul plays Richard Jewell to a T, using his awkward physique and vocal inflections to paint the fictional Richard as closely as he can to the real life man. Rockwell once again knocks it out of the park, but I was shocked at how underrated Kathy Bates was in the film. She’s jaw dropping as Richard’s mother, and that final speech she does on national TV just had my jaw on the floor. Hamm and Olivia Wilde both do great jobs, but really those three above are the stars of the movie, and they do their job with great turned in performances.




Rating:

Rated R for language including some sexual references, and brief bloody images




Video:

I was actually a bit shocked that Warner Brothers didn’t opt for a 4K UHD release for Richard Jewell. The movie did decently at the box office, it was given a native 4K digital intermediate master, AND Eastwood movies in general have gotten 4K UHD releases by the studio. Ah well, at least the digitally shot Blu-ray film looks near impeccable in 1080p. The Panavision film is clean, clear and really glossy most of the time, with only some occasional digital noise in low light scenes. The film’s colors are bright and vivid, with a scene from a video arcade really popping off the screen, as well as a sumptuous look at Atlanta, Georgia throughout. Black levels are deep and appropriately inky, and there is no major artifacting that I can think of outside of the digital noise. An all around great transfer.



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Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track for Richard Jewell is a solid mix, and does well for the dramatic environment it's given. The mix isn't going to blow your socks off for the most part, but the bomb going off (and being replayed as flashbacks) really does rock the sound stage quite nicely. The hustle and bustle of Atlanta city traffic and crowds adds to the surround ambiance, as does the screaming and yelling of reporters surrounding the Jewell residence, but at the end of the day this is a solid dramatic track that lives and dies on the dialog sequences. Vocals are crisp and clean, and the balance is done quite nicely, and the few moments that do require more boisterous activity show some wicked dynamic range (that bomb going off flexed the walls). Very good all around dramatic mix.







Extras:

• The Making of Richard Jewell
• The Real Story of Richard Jewell

Final Score:
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Richard Jewell is not a PERFECT movie, but it is most certainly a VERY good one. Eastwood is one of those director’s that I love so much that I’ll watch anything he makes (even if it’s swill like 15:17 to Paris), and he always delivers with these intense dramas. The man has an eye for making the mundane exciting, and this is no different. I do solidly commend him for making a film about one of the more forgotten about heroes of the public bombing world, and one who was so badly maligned by the media that if you read the true story about what happened will nauseate you even more. Warner Brother’s Blu-ray release is great from beginning to end, with the only real weak spot in the home video package is the lackluster extras.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, Paul Walter Hauser, Brandon Stanley, Olivia Wilde
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Written by: Billy Ray (Screenplay), Marie Brenner (Article)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: R
Runtime: 131 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: March 17th, 2020

Recommendation: Good Watch

 

[Jack1949]

I'm an Eastwood fan and I'll definitely rent this one.

 

[Michael Scott]

sorry, that recommendation should have been "good watch" not "rental". oops

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I am also Eastwood fan and I will check this movie out.

 

[Epoxy1]

Michael,

Nice review and I agree with you. That casting was absolutely perfect along with the pacing.