Film Preview: Richard Jewell (2019)

Page Revisions:

(October 13, 2019) Original
(December 8, 2019) New Poster (#1) / Added Image Gallery

Release Date:

December 13, 2019

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “American security guard, Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser), 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.”

Poster Rating: C

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Review: Black-and-white doesn’t quite make sense with this poster, especially when the film is supposed to be about nuance and a lack of black-and-whiteness to society, but that doesn’t seem to matter because this scene from the film is too dull to be colorized.

Trailer Rating: C+

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Review: Using the phone call as a framing motif for the trailer is an interesting fit; however, the trailer doesn’t adequately set the film up as a must-see event rather than a commonplace courtroom drama without much interacting in the courtroom.

Oscar Prospects:

Never underestimate a late-year, surprise Clint Eastwood release in terms of Oscar capability. That said, while it used to be a given that a film he made would be a major Oscar player when released, he hasn’t in 5 years (American Sniper in 2014). His last three films were all failures in that regard, picking up scant attention for the Oscars and a single nomination between them. Matter of fact, prior to American Sniper, his prior major Oscar play was in 2006 with Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers. Still, the subject matter here is a little more broadly compelling than his last film, but that doesn’t mean it will be a player. Just be cautious and hedge your bets until critics actually see it.