Der Fall Richard Jewell

This movie is a great wake up call about the media. I wasn't going to leave a review until I read the media outcry about the film. I believe in a strong and free media but for all the good can they do, they can also be a self-serving destructive force.

This movie nicely brings that point across without getting into politics. Perhaps if Eastwood hadn't used real names of reporters and newspapers, there might have been less media blowback. But ... it's kind of like they're getting a taste of their own medicine. So it's unfortunate that they're targeted - perhaps with some fictionalization, but you can see how they scramble and plead "unfair" when the tables are turned ... like they were with Jewell.

I remember the news reports about Richard Jewell when the bombing occurred. I only recall that he was said to have discovered something about the bombing and then he was suddenly in trouble for being the prime suspect. The impression I got was that he was a troubled person and guilty -- never heard what happened afterward and never gave it any more thought.

It was amazing to watch this movie and see the events that actually transpired. It's definitely a worthwhile movie to see because it's both captivating and based on real events. Keep in mind that like any movie, some aspects are fictionalized, but the core story isn't. It's scary and real.