Now this was a surprise. A story from the 1990s that was familiar, but I didn’t remember any of the details – the bombing of the 1996 Atlanta summer Olympics.
The movie is titled from the lead character, Richard Jewell, a simple minded security guard who was charged by the FBI with the Centennial Olympic Park bombing that killed two and injured more than one hundred. This movie had spectacular acting by the cast, including the GREAT Sam Rockwell as attorney Watson Bryant and the GREAT Kathy Bates as Barbara Jewell, Richard’s mother. Last but not least, a new actor (at least for me) played the starring role – Paul Hauser as Richard Jewell. Plus, the always excellent Jon Hamm as FBI agent Tom Shaw and Olivia “13” Wilde as local reporter Kathy Scruggs who broke the story and initially rail-roaded Jewell.
This movie was so well done and the story was so riveting (and ultimately sad) I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see in the closing credits that this was a Clint Eastwood movie. Does he ever make a movie that isn’t great? I think not.
Oh and about the FBI, their incompetence in this case was frightening and shocking. Sadly, it makes more recent events less surprising.
Anywho, this is yet another one of those rare, brilliant and captivating movies that are sullied by blathering on about it or revealing too much of the story. Just watch this one – ’nuff said.
9 rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’, fumblin’ FBI agents out of 10