Richard Jewell – DECEMBER 13th 2019

WHAT’S IT ABOUT

American security guard, Richard Jewell, heroically saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is unjustly vilified by journalists and the press who falsely report that he was a terrorist.

MOVIESinMO REVIEW

As compelling and factful as this story probably looked on paper, as a movie, Richard Jewell is very uneventful. It does give us a little insight into the type of person Richard was, but it made him seem somewhat of a special needs case rather than someone capable of bombing (or saving) anyone. The bad guys are the media and the government, of course, as Mr. Jewell’s life gets dragged through the mud, and everything he held dear about authority is questioned. In America, you are innocent until proven guilty or at least that’s what they say. This movie is more proof that you are guilty first. Richard gets a front seat to how the government acts, and his attorney discovers that almost everything Mr. Jewel does can be seen as suspicious unless you know the type of person Richard is. He is a person that respects the law, respects authority, and has a very unhealthy appreciation of the rules. Richard knows the rules, and he will never question them. In addition to his legal knowledge, he talks too much. I know the story of the security guard that found the bomb during the Olympics but hearing him explain things, everything, even made me question his innocence. Being the first person to find the unattended backpack was not the problem. His mannerisms and the things he said are what made him a suspect. If everything in the film is right, then his lawyer Watson Bryant, was the real hero. Without him, Mr. Jewel would have been arrested and forgotten about long before anyone would have cared if he was innocent. Richard Jewel does a great job showing the details needed to capture someone even if it is a bit one-sided. In the end, we learn how horrible our government treats those they feel are guilty and will do anything to make it so. I believe Mr. Jewel said something like “Do you think the next person to find an abandoned package will come forward or walk away”? Overall, Richard Jewel is more of a television movie than a feature film for theaters.

DVD/BLU-RAY/DIGITAL

Genre – Drama

Street date

Digital – March 3^rd 2020

DVD/Blu-Ray – March 17^th 2020

Video – 1080p

Screen size – 2:39.1

Sound – English: DTS-HD MA 5.1

Subtitles – English SDH

Extras

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