The Hurricane (1999) Rating (out of five): **** Starring Denzel Washington, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Deborah Unger, Liev Schreiber, John Hannah, Dan Hedaya, Debbi Morgan, David Paymer, Vinny Pastore and Rod Steiger Directed by Norman Jewison Written by Sam Chaiton (based on a book by Rubin "Hurricane" Carter) Rated R for violence and profanity Theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 Released in 1999 Running 155 minutes
The life story of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter is full of so many powerful and harrowing emotions that you'd think it would be impossible to express it all on a movie screen. Filled to the brim with themes of hope, love, sacrifice and courage, The Hurricane is one of the most absorbing and spiritually uplifting movies of the year.
Denzel Washington's new film tells Carter's turbulent story in admirable fashion, providing those of us who previously knew nothing of the Hurricane' s plight with a wealth of fascinating insight.
How turbulent was his life, you may ask? For starters, at age eleven, Carter was sent to a juvenile prison (and remained there for almost ten years) for a simple act of self-defense, and in his adult life was framed for three murders by the same police officer who haunted his childhood. But Carter carried the title of "the Hurricane" for a reason - for the twenty years that he was held in the custody of New Jersey state, he never submitted to his oppressors, nor did he give up his dignity by wearing the uniform of a convict.
While behind bars, he became friend and mentor to a troubled black youth who read the memoirs of the wrongly-jailed boxer and was so struck by the tale that he formed a pen pal relationship with the Hurricane. It was he, along with a group of Canadian freedom fighters, that eventually helped to orchestrate Carter's extradition from prison (made even more compelling by a heated courtroom finish in which the hero must stand up to the racist legal system that ruined his life).
Of course, who knows exactly how much of the information we are being fed is true? Rumor has it that the real Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was not such a pleasant guy, that the touched-up film version of his life smoothed out the rougher edges of his personality in order to make their hero more likable and accessible to the general public. The facts of the case have also been accused of being slightly distorted in an attempt to fit Hollywood's standards of a "crowd-pleaser" (indeed, the storytelling techniques can seem a little too by-the-numbers at times).
Then again, The Hurricane never claimed to be a documentary. Employing the concept of artistic license to its fullest potential, director Norman Jewison (who, after In the Heat of the Night, is no stranger to films dealing with racism) has crafted a fine picture. Aided by a stellar cast of performers (including Washington, who just recently took home a Golden Globe for his turn as the world-weary boxer), he has made something to move and inspire us all.
Copyright 2000 Jason Wallis
*Find all of Jason's reviews at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/7475
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