Richard Jewel

        As he did with recreating real life events in "Sully", director Clint Eastwood's new film recreates the actual events around the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing and the hero turned suspect.

        The film is basically a docudrama following the story as it happened, including the controversial speculation around a reporter's methods for getting inside information from the FBI ultimately leading to casting public suspicion on Mr. Jewel.

         The film paints an ugly picture of FBI and media tactics to bend the truth as they see fit. Clearly Mr. Jewel was a hero, discovering the bomb and being the first to warn people and the police. However, the FBI in their haste to find a suspect, turn their attention to Mr. Jewel after a tip of his odd behavior in the past. Once the media gets wind of the suspicions, Mr. Jewel's life becomes a nightmare.

          As Captain Sullivan, who was clearly a hero, became a target of the FAA in "Sully", the same parallel can be found in Richard Jewel. Mr. Eastwood has found his niche in telling these types of stories. And what makes them so compelling is the great casting he finds to recreate them. Jon Hamm is the determined but sloppy FBI agent, Sam Rockwell, the lawyer who rises to Mr. Jewel's defense, Olivia Wilde is the reporter eager to do anything to get a story, Kathy Bates is Mrs. Jewel, Richard's mother and in a breakout performance, Paul Walter Hauser is Richard Jewel.

             Mr. Hauser has had small roles in "Blackklansman" and "I, Tonya" but here he is the center of attention and he is just terrific as Richard Jewel.