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Growing up as the child of dirty hippies, I was introduced to the plight of Ruben `Hurricane' Carter at an early age. Via the Bob Dylan song, I learned that Carter was the number one contender for the middleweight boxing title until he was accused, falsely tried and convicted of a grisly triple murder by an all-white jury. The song also detailed the cover-ups, witness tampering and corruption ranging from the local police to the judge that handed Carter his life sentence. Pretty heavy subject matter for a song (thank God that Dylan was writing in blank verse), not to mention my five-year-old brain. The tale seemed inconceivable, even to a kid whose biggest concern was trying to get the brake on his Big Wheel to make him spin to a groovy halt.
Still, I approached the film with apprehension. First, you have to consider the fact that you're basically seeing a movie that will offer no surprises. It's a biopic and, like Man on the Moon, based on real-life events that most people already know. Then there's director Norman Jewison. He's made some decent films, especially when he focuses on racial injustice, but his last two (Bogus and Only You) really stunk up the joint. And then there's Denzel Washington (The Bone Collector), an actor who, in my opinion, is one of the most overrated in the business (it's a photo-finish with Liam Neeson). But since The Hurricane has already been praised by critics worldwide, I felt I should probably check my preconceptions at the box office window.
Hurricane is a good film. Is it a Best Picture candidate? Absolutely not. Does it belong on Top Ten lists? Not unless you've only seen two dozen movies in 1999. I'm not even sure that you can call the film entertaining, considering the depressing material and lack of surprises. It is simply a good film.
Among its strengths is the way the film is assembled. Instead of going for the simple, linear, timeline approach, Jewison skips from Carter's welterweight title fight in 1963; to the release of his novel, `The 16th Round,' in 1973; to the murders in 1966; to Carter's youth in Patterson, New Jersey; to the `present day,' when a group of Canadians lead a fight to free the imprisoned boxer. Jewison is able to pull this off without Hurricane seeming too jumpy or confusing.
Also commendable is Roger Deakins' (The Big Lebowski) cinematography, which is fantastic without being intrusive. His camera-work, especially during the grainy black-and-white fight, is quite remarkable. At this point in post-Raging Bull cinema, it's almost a requirement that all fight scenes be filmed in black-and-white, but Deakins does more than just use black-and-white stock: He gives these scenes such a dated look that you can almost hear Howard Cosell calling the action.
But the biggest surprise of all is Washington, who does a really great job in the titular role. The usually one-dimensional actor manages to appear angry, scared and delusional at the same time. There is one standout scene where he meets with his lawyers and they do that whole talking-on-the-phone-separated-by-a-thick-pane-of-glass thing. Washington gets so worked up that his side of the glass starts to get steamed up. Or maybe he just had really bad gas.
Hurricane certainly isn't without flaws, though. It's one slow-moving train, punctuated by a tedious scene of Carter in `the hole.' It feels like we're watching the entire ninety-day ordeal play out in real time. I also have a big problem with the creation of the fictional character Detective Vincent Della Pesca (Dan Hedaya, Dick). The detective is portrayed as a bigot that sat around and dreamed up ways to incarcerate Carter. Sound familiar? It should - it's the O.J. defense. While I understand his inclusion intends to illustrate the corruption of the system, it's really hard to swallow. I'm sure that law enforcement officers wish they had this kind of free time on their hands. The character does nothing but potentially incite hatred toward police. And that just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
2:25 - R for adult language, violence and racial stuff
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