Review of Richard Jewell (2019) by Brent_Marchant — 13 Dec 2019

This suspenseful, well-acted and well-directed biopic of an innocent man accused of a heinous crime hits most of the right notes save for one very big one -- the truth of how the reporter who broke the story actually got her information.

This controversial story thread, which has drawn angry criticism from those who knew the journalist, seems to linger somewhere between possible truth and outright fiction, an element that undermines an otherwise-fine film and the principal point it's trying to make.

However, even if this aspect of the film is a glaring error, there's still plenty to like in director Clint Eastwood's work, especially when it comes to the excellent performances of its superb ensemble, including Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde.

Granted, this one may have to be taken with a hefty grain of salt, but the picture's many strengths more than outweigh its very large shortcoming, which, had it been handled differently, would have made this an otherwise truly great film.