The Hurricane (1999)
Cast: Denzel Washington, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Liev Schreiber, Deborah Unger, John Hannah, Dan Hedaya, David Paymer, Rod Steiger Director: Norman Jewison Screenplay: Armyan Bernstein and Dan Gordon, based on "Lazarus and The Hurricane" by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton, and "The 16th Round" by Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter 150 minutes Rated R
Review by Donlee Brussel
In this corner, the master of playing the Negro oppressed by the white man, the two-time Oscar nominee (Cry Freedom & Malcolm X) and once Oscar winner (Glory), the thespian, the one and only Denzel Washington! And in the other corner, the master craftsman of the clichéd & manipulative (Bogus), the thrice Oscar nominated (In The Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof & Moonstruck) and Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award recipient, the man with the plan, Norman Jewison! Together for the first time since "A Soldier's Story," in a film based on "Lazarus and The Hurricane" by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton, and on "The 16th Round" by Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter. Ladies and gentleman, "The Hurricane!"
The film opens on December 20, 1963 with an awesome black and white boxing match (shot elaborately by Roger Deakins) between Rubin and Griffith. From that point on, the film never ceases to amaze us. Presented in a non-linear form with a heavy dosage of drama, and solid acting across the board, "Hurricane" ends up a real KO. Of admirable merit are Jewison's top-notch directing, Denzel Washington's superbly complex and multi-layered performance and the fascinating story of Carter adapted for the screen by Armyan Bernstein and Dan Gordon.
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was a great boxer, possibly one of the greatest of all time. The film chronicles his life from childhood to his wrongful murder conviction because of a corrupt cop (Dan Hedaya) to his triumphant release from prison. How he got out of jail after being imprisoned for 20 years is an "incredible" true story.
After reading Carter's book, Lesra Martin feels a deep connection between himself and the author and decides to seek him out. He writes a letter and after getting a reply, visits Hurricane in jail. The two have a meaningful conversation that makes Lesra enlist the help of the three Canadians (Liev Schreiber, Deborah Unger & John Hannah) he's living with to come and help him free Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.
Denzel Washington does a great job of playing African Americans oppressed by the Caucasian race as evidenced by his multiple awards for playing those kinds of roles. He's the best at doing characters like Malcolm X in "Malcolm X," Trip in "Glory," or Rubin Carter in "The Hurricane." He has the ability to transform into these characters, both physically and mentally. Washington gave this film everything he had and it shows. Throughout "Hurricane," there's not one scene where we're watching Denzel Washington, we're always watching Rubin. In my humble opinion, I think he gives the best male performance of 1999.
In addition to Washington, there's a great supporting cast headed by Vicellous Reon Shannon. It gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside to say that this is a talented young actor that we should keep an eye on, especially with this being the year of praise heaped upon such overrated prodigies as Haley Joel Osment. Shannon shows a skillful amount of range in his role of Lesra Martin, a role that will probably go underrated.
Then there's Dan Hedaya, resplendent as always as the conspicuous police lieutenant who's trying to keep the black man (In this case, Rubin Carter) down. There's nothing like a really good antagonist to make a film complete. Unless of course, it's the king of over the top actors, Rod Steiger! Fresh from the ruins of "End of Days," he's here in a superincumbent role as the judge for the big courtroom climax.
With so many biographies being made into films these days, it's refreshing to see one as good as this. "The Hurricane" is one that actually had everyone pour their heart and soul into it.
- © 1999 by Donlee Brussel
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