‘Trial by media’ is not a new concept. In today’s digital age, technology has turned each one of us with the internet and smartphones/devices into sources of information. Microblogging sites have empowered us to tell our own stories. But for the same reason most of us end up telling others’ stories—without verifying facts, without understanding the truth. In Nepal, ‘Trial by media’ is a rampant problem, with most of our social media users falling for false information. At the same time, our voyeuristic nature leads us to pry into the lives of everyone, famous or not.
Recently released on Netflix, “Richard Jewell” is a movie that tells the story of a man whose life is forever changed by one case of misreporting. Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser)—the lead character—is a young man who aspires for a career in law enforcement. From being an office supply clerk to a security guard, Jewell keeps switching jobs to get closer to his goal of becoming a police officer.
One such stint as a security guard lands Jewell at the Centennial Park in Atlanta, where the 1996 Olympic Games are being held. In one of his shifts, Jewell notices a suspicious package under a bench and quickly informs police officers on site. Explosives experts soon arrive and declare the package a bomb. A quick evacuation of the people near the periphery follows, with Jewell playing a significant part in it. And although the bomb explodes, many lives are saved because of Jewell’s quick thinking and decision-making.
The next day, Jewell is an American hero. He is all over the newspapers, television and radio, even getting offers for an autobiography. But he hardly gets to revel in his newfound fame. FBI agent Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm), who is also on duty at the time of the bomb blast, profiles Jewell as a “white, male, wannabe police officer.” The profile and Jewell’s history of desperately wanting to get into the police turn him into a suspect instead.
The FBI’s investigation in itself would not have been very harmful for Jewell. But then a local journalist Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution manages to unscrupulously extract information on him from agent Shaw. Her news article brands Jewell a terrorist. From then, Jewell and his mother Bobi (Kathy Bates), with whom he still lives, find their privacy violated. They become the center of investigation from the FBI and face a trial conducted by media houses and their reporters. How Jewell, with the help of his friend and attorney Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell), fights against the FBI, the media and the people in general makes up the rest of the film.
The true story of Richard Jewell is based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell” and the 2019 book “The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle” by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen. The film is produced and directed by the legend Clint Eastwood who manages to tell the eponymous hero-turned-villain’s story with the earnestness and grit he’s known for.
Richard Jewell takes the story of a wronged individual and places him at the center of attention. In the process the audience also gets to look at the accused as a human being. The titular character Jewell has his own flaws and vices. But is that reason enough for the media to brand him a demon? His story shows how an individual can easily become powerless against dishonest journalists and people’s biases.
Who should watch it?
Richard Jewell is a film that repeats the story of Jewell and makes the audience aware of the repercussions of giving into every bit of media information. Media can be biased; they can be wrong. So it’s the responsibility of every individual to crosscheck information without passing a quick judgment on anyone. My friends in the media as well as all those who frequently use social media to disseminate information must watch this film.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Biography/drama
Director: Clint Eastwood
Actors: Paul Walter Hauser, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell
Run time: 2hrs 11mins
