However, Eastwoods straightforward storytelling methods in Richard Jewell are both the films greatest assets and weaknesses. Its supposed to be a time of joy for the world, and its a very, very bad thing.. The People vs. Richard Jewell Bryant wasnt exactly a hot-shot defense lawyerat the time, he was practicing real-estate law. The letter did not include an apology, but in a separate statement issued by Alexander, the U.S. Justice Department regretted the leaking of the investigation. I worry about Eastwoods version of Kathy. During a Jack Mack and the Heart Attack performance, Jewell and other security guards began clearing the immediate area so that a bomb squad could investigate the suspicious package. He deserves even more.. The app was glorifying and normalizing suicide, she says. Jewells moms Tupperware really was confiscated by the FBI, for example, and he really did land a job at a local police department after being cleared. [37][38][39][40][41] Jewell is played by Paul Walter Hauser[42] while Kathy Bates played mother Bobi (for which she earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination). She dated cops, including one who was accused of stealing money from the pockets of the dead.. She drank. It says that the FBI searched Bobis underwear and her Tupperware containers. The Court concluded that "because the articles in their entirety were substantially true at the time they were publishedeven though the investigators' suspicions were ultimately deemed unfoundedthey cannot form the basis of a defamation action. On August 7, 1996, the AP was reporting that Bryant had declared, Enough is enough. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. I was more nervous about meeting Bobi than I was Clint, because Clint and I have a certain commonality based on what we do for a living. WebRichard Jewell was never officially charged with any crimes, but he spent 88 days being under investigation as the person responsible for the 1996 bombs in Centennial Park. Jewell had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes[45] in February 2007 and suffered kidney failure and other medical problems related to his diagnosis in the following months. GettyThis dawn 27 July photo shows the five-story sound tower (L) in the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park where a bomb exploded early 27 July during a rock concert. Poynter.org wrote that There is no evidence that Scruggs slept with anyone to get the story. That self-justified sense of virtue isnt just the driving motive of the Richard Jewells action; its an attitude that suffuses the filmmaking project itself. Three days later, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed that the FBI was treating him as a possible suspect, based largely on a "lone bomber" criminal profile. Maybe he wanted to play hero for 15 minutes. Jewell's estate continued to press the case even after his death in 2007, but in July 2011, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled for the defendant. [33], Jewell filed suit against his former employer Piedmont College, its president Raymond Cleere, and college spokesman Scott Rawles. WebIn 1996, after security guard Richard Jewell discovered a bomb at Atlantas Centennial Olympic Park, helped clear the crowd and saved hundreds of lives, Jewell was declared Scruggs newspaper has defended its reporting as accurately reflecting the state of the FBIs investigation at the time; the FBI was investigating Jewell in the bombing, although he was completely exonerated. Nevertheless, for all of the reasons noted supra, we conclude that the trial court did not err in denying Jewells motion to compel or in granting the Media Defendants summary judgment on Jewells claims.. Today, Bobi is still alive. It was obviously an invalid waiver.. Im not as trusting as I once was. Jewell was first referenced in The Times on July 28, 1996 not by name, but as an AT&T security guard, in the papers initial story on the explosion. Llewellyn; and special agents Diader Rosario and Don Johnson. They were accused of trying to get Jewell to star in a training video that was really a ruse to see if he would incriminate himself. The lead FBI agent in the movie, Tom Shaw, for example, is not a real person, although hes likely a composite character who does things the real FBI agents did (agents really did lure Jewell to give an interview using a training video ruse, for example). She cursed. Richard Jewell's mother says movie was '200 percent' accurate, "Hero for a Moment: The Richard Jewell Story". It later turned out that the real bomber Eric Rudolph placed that call. Eastwood takes a relatively simple approach in telling Jewells story, allowing many moments for his actors to breathe. I was worried, but she gave me a lot of tidbits and little nuggets of Richard that were indicative of greater truths.. The Daily Orange is Syracuse Universitys independent student news organization. What makes you think you could f*ck it out of me? Theres no evidence that ever occurred, and Scruggs supporters say it didnt. Based on a 1997 Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner, Richard Jewells broad narrative cleaves closely to reality. I think we owe him an apology. An article in the Great Falls Tribune on July 29, 1996 reported that the most important hero of the Atlanta Olympics is a man of modest height and stocky build. Jewell was described as the security guard who noticed the knapsack, sitting alone by a tower. WebRichard Jewell is unquestionably a tragic figure, the appeals court said in its conclusion, which favored the newspaper. In a bar, the FBI agent tells Scruggs, Kathy, you couldnt f*ck it out of them. The first time I met Bobi Jewell was on the Warner Bros. lot, he told THR. The New York Times reported that the statement was "highly unusual" because "it was a tacit admission by Federal officials that they had been wrong in their suspicion of Mr. The article said there were more than 150 people close to the bomb before they were moved, so its believed that Jewell, in real life, did save many lives. . READ NEXT: Richard Jewells Cause of Death: How Did He Die? An anti-government extremist, Rudolph was convicted of perpetrating the bombing at the Atlanta Olympics. All rights reserved. In a December 9 letter to the filmmaker, lawyers for the Journal-Constitution wrote that Richard Jewells depiction of Scruggs, who died in 2001 at 42, makes it appear that the AJC sexually exploited its staff and/or that it facilitated or condoned offering sexual gratification to sources in exchange for stories. That implication, they wrote, is entirely false and malicious, and it is extremely defamatory and damaging. They asked that the film include a prominent disclaimer saying that it took dramatic license in portraying some of its events and characters. "I lived a nightmare for 88 days. While the film does allow its actors to shine, its understated nature also leads to a film that struggles to keep viewers attentive. Kathy Scruggs was a modern, independent woman whose personal life should not detract from her accomplishments.. Apparently he was also approached for a book contract. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to the bombings and received four life sentences. [10], Richard Jewell, a biographical drama film, was released in the United States on December 13, 2019. Richard Allensworth Jewell (born Richard White;[1] December 17, 1962 August 29, 2007) was an American security guard and law enforcement officer who alerted police during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Richard Jewell was cleared and called a hero, again Shutterstock Ironically, he was cleared in part because the person who actually planted the bomb, Eric Rudolph, called the Atlanta Police Department at 12:58 a.m. the morning it was set to detonate and told them they had 30 minutes before it would go off, per the FBI. Read more , Torrence came off the bench for two seasons at SU and averaged 2.4 points and 11.2 minutes per game this season. She told the Hollywood Reporter that by no means was she intending to suggest that as a female reporter Scruggs needed to use her sexuality. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Also present in the chest fluid were paroxetine, mirtazapine, and ethyl alcohol. The culprit, Eric Robert Rudolph, wasnt captured until 2003, after evading the FBI for five years and perpetrating three other bombings. The Ballad of Richard Jewell. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. She died knowing that what she wrote was accurate, and I think that was really important to her. Im just one person who did their job the way they were trained to do with the support of everyone else, said Jewell, according to the newspaper. Claire Folger - 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Eric Rudolph did, as the movie shows. Jewell died in 2007 at age 44. Prosecutor reveals in interview how he helped clear Richard For Better and Worse, Richard Jewell Is Peak Clint Eastwood "Mom," said Richard turning to Bobi, his voice cracking with emotion. The 1997 article in Vanity Fair on the Richard Jewell case gives extensive details on the effect on Bobi at the time. Former FBI executive Chris Swecker explained on an FBI website devoted to Rudolphs capture: He had borrowed ideas from a lot of different places and formed his own personal ideology. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR A FOX NATION FREE TRIAL. Shame on Olivia Wilde and Clint Eastwood, way to lie about someone that isnt alive to defend herself. I did not do this Mom.'" That version of events has garnered controversy leading up to the films release, especially from Scruggs former employer, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was arrested in 2003 after a lengthy manhunt. Her daughter was also injured. The AP article said that Jewell worked for a security company that was hired by AT&T to provide guards for its Centennial Olympic Park pavilion. How the Investigation Into Richard Jewell Unfolded Richard Jewell Today, she is not here to tell her side of the story, played on screen by Olivia Wilde. Richard Jewell focuses on the real victim, seeks to tell his story, confirm his innocence and restore his name, the studio said. He wasnt cleared by the Justice Department until October 1996. WebJewell was initially hailed as a hero, but days later he was identified as the FBI's prime suspect and became the focus of a furious media feeding frenzy. Shortly after, Rudolph bombed two more locations in Georgia and one in Birmingham, Alabama, resulting several more injuries and the death of a police officer. The portrayal tracks closely with real life, even down to the Tupperware that Bobi got back from the FBI with marks on it. And I dont think Im as outgoing as I used to be.. She broke the story that security guard Jewell at that point a hero for saving countless lives in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta was in fact the FBIs lead suspect in the case. For that, we have the greatest sympathy. According to Brenner, a tip-off came from one of Jewells former employers, Piedmont College president Ray Cleere, who had had disagreements over campus policing with Jewell. NPR He discovered a backpack containing three pipe bombs on the park grounds[1] and helped evacuate the area before the bomb exploded, saving many people from injury or death. Paul Walter Hauser, left, with director Clint Eastwood during the filming of Richard Jewell., Olivia Wilde plays the late Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs in Richard Jewell.. A special edition of The Atlanta Journal hit newsstands on July 30, 1996, a pivotal headline splashed across the front page: F.B.I. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. My apartment was bugged," Bobi Jewell said on Fox and Friends. Those who knew her hotly deny it. The movie unfurls a stark morality tale about what happens when the powers that belaw enforcement, the media, the entire world, it seemsgang up on a couple of lionhearted little guys. What is true, though, is that authorities in the FBI did aggressively pursue Jewell. The representation of a real person in this manner is troubling, especially since Scruggs portrayal in the film is cartoonish compared to the rest of the films performances. The movie, which premiered Nov. 20 at AFI Fest in Los Angeles, is another of Eastwoods films depicting the dark side of celebrated heroes, according to The Times Glenn Whipp. GettyBarbara Bobi Jewell and Paul Walter Hauser attend the Richard Jewell screening at Rialto Center of the Arts on December 10, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Jewell's name was leaked early in the investigation and law enforcement and media became suspicious of him. He played video games. Maybe more creativity with regard to the filmmaking and music would have made the story more interesting, but the straightforward presentation bogs down several strong performances. In real life, she was a lot more complex than that. For example, Jewells mothers apartment really did prominently display a portrait of Jewell in his Habersham County deputys uniform, the Vanity Fair article reported. His libel suit against the company that owned The Journal lingered in the courts for years before the final claim was dismissed. Meanwhile, Kathy Scruggs, a police reporter, who had allegedly gotten a tip from a close friend in the F.B.I., got a confirmation from someone in the Atlanta police, Vanity Fair reported. The Cautionary Tale of Richard Jewell: How a Hero Became a While the actors are trying their best, these moments rarely add more than a slight chuckle. After nearly threemonths in 1996, Richard Jewell, who worked as a nighttime security guard at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park, was cleared by the FBI. When he pleaded guilty, a defiant Rudolph said he had no remorse or regrets, the FBI wrote. Richard Jewell's mother Bobi and his attorney Watson Bryant react to the true story of the 1996 Olympic bombing being told on the big screen. In the movie, Tom Shaw and Dan Bennett are the names given to the FBI agents relentlessly pursuing the former hero security guard turned suspect in the Atlanta bombing at the Olympics.