It's just a movie. All political sides and the media as well use them to sell themselves and their heroics.

https://variety.com/2019/film/columns/richard-jewell-clint-eastwood-kathy-scruggs-controversy-1203435866/

The actor who played Jewell nailed it... I watched the 60 minutes interview with the guy and some youtube clips of his other footage... Underrated movie, imo...

I agree. I am old enough to remember the bombing and one other thing it did was remind me again how we are so quick (and growing quicker all the time) to move on from one scandal to the next, never quite sorting out the messes we make as we go. Clint Eastwood has a master's touch in film making that is sorely lacking for many films today. When I saw the length of this film I was surprised, but not nearly as surprised as how quickly it was over. Now that is what great storytelling can do.

@mechajutaro said:

@CheekyMonkey said:

What a story... It's great to watch a movie about the decency and heroism of a regular American man, standing up for himself against a political and media machine.

Sounds like Eastwood once again projects his own self-image onto the central character of one of his movies. A regular guy standing up to "The Establishment"(read: anyone who doesn't quite what he's peddling)has more or less been the one-trick pony he's been riding since Dirty Harry

He has made a few films like that, yeah. But to say he's a one trick pony and that's all he's ever done and is capable of is pretty inaccurate. Just looking at his list of films on IMDB and I can see a shit ton of films that don't match that description. Jersey Boys, J.Edgar, Letters From Iwo Jima, Mystic River, Play Misty For Me, American Sniper

Is Million Dollar Baby about standing up to the establishment? I dunno. Spoiler Warning: It's more about euthanasia. But yeah I can see how euthansia can be a statement against the establishment. On the other hand, the fact that it tackles euthanasia makes it more than simply an anti-establishment film.

Interestingly, I do find it quite odd that he does make anti-establishment films considering he is famously republican. I can see how Dirty Harry is anti-authority in a gung ho way so that could be seen to fit his politics but that's not the case with something like Richard Jewel which seems like the kind of film that would come from a left wing mentality.

@Daddie0 said:

Clint Eastwood has a master's touch in film making that is sorely lacking for many films today. When I saw the length of this film I was surprised, but not nearly as surprised as how quickly it was over. Now that is what great storytelling can do.

I do like the dude and he certainly does make some good films. But he has fired out a fair few bad, pointless ones too. It's just that you hear about them a lot less. True Crime, Space Cowboys, Flags of Our Fathers. I haven't seen his newest film, The Mule. But it does sound pretty dull.

This is classic film story telling and a quintessential Eastwood underdog story.

@JustinJackFlash said:

Interestingly, I do find it quite odd that he does make anti-establishment films considering he is famously republican. I can see how Dirty Harry is anti-authority in a gung ho way so that could be seen to fit his politics but that's not the case with something like Richard Jewel which seems like the kind of film that would come from a left wing mentality.

It seems to me we have become so exclusively binary and categorical in our thinking (not just in politics but life) that we can't imagine independent thought or plodding convictions. It is such things in his work--especially as he ages--that I find engaging, refreshing, and commendable.

@JustinJackFlash said:

I do like the dude and he certainly does make some good films. But he has fired out a fair few bad, pointless ones too. It's just that you hear about them a lot less. True Crime, Space Cowboys, Flags of Our Fathers. I haven't seen his newest film, The Mule. But it does sound pretty dull.

The dullness might be what I'm drawn to...I'll have to check it out.

@Daddie0 said:

@JustinJackFlash said:

Interestingly, I do find it quite odd that he does make anti-establishment films considering he is famously republican. I can see how Dirty Harry is anti-authority in a gung ho way so that could be seen to fit his politics but that's not the case with something like Richard Jewel which seems like the kind of film that would come from a left wing mentality.

It seems to me we have become so exclusively binary and categorical in our thinking (not just in politics but life) that we can't imagine independent thought or plodding convictions. It is such things in his work--especially as he ages--that I find engaging, refreshing, and commendable.

Yeah, you're very right about that. People pigeon hole other people politically way, way too much and assume these political terms mean very fixed things. But some people will also do it to themselves, which really doesn't help matters. They will pick an ideology and then think they have to align all their beliefs with that ideology.

I respect Clint for being the way he is. He clearly is a Republican that has a bit of an open mind. His ending of Million Dollar Baby (spoiler warning) which seems pro-euthanasia does seem to stray pretty far from what you'd traditionally associate with Republicanism. And I do see a lot of that kind of thing in his films. I just always thought it pretty odd that he chooses to identify as Republican when I'd say he seems more like an Independent to me. But obviously it's his choice.

@JustinJackFlash said:

I do like the dude and he certainly does make some good films. But he has fired out a fair few bad, pointless ones too. It's just that you hear about them a lot less. True Crime, Space Cowboys, Flags of Our Fathers. I haven't seen his newest film, The Mule. But it does sound pretty dull.

The dullness might be what I'm drawn to...I'll have to check it out.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing on the Clintster. Just pointing out that just like filmmakers today, he is capable of blundering.