The Hurricane
THE HURRICANE (15)
D: Norman Jewison
Touchstone/Buena Vista/Beacon (Armyan Bernstein, John
Ketcham & Norman Jewison)
US 1999
140 mins
Biopic/Drama/Sports
W: Armyan Bernstein & Dan Gordon [based on
the books "The 16th Round" by Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter & "Lazarus & The Hurricane" by Sam Chaton & Terry Swinton]
DP: Roger Deakins
Ed: Stephen Rivkin
Mus: Christopher Young
PD: Philip Rosenberg
Cos: Aggie Guerard-Rodgers
Denzel Washington (Rubin "Hurricane"
Carter), Vicellous Reon Shannon (Lesra), Deborah Kara Unger (Lisa), Liev Schreiber (Sam), John Hannah (Terry), Dan Hedaya (Della Pesca), Clancy Brown (Lt. Jimmy Williams)
Denzel Washington delivers arguably his finest ever
performance as Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter in this true story of an up-and-coming boxer falsely arrested for murder by a bigoted detective and consequently sentenced to three life
sentences.
The film is very short on the boxer's sporting
achievements, diving straight into his struggles in prison and the fight to clear his name.
The film would have been much better if it focused
exclusively on the man and his struggles, but half the film is dedicated to a young black boy who is inspired by reading Carter's autobiography and joining the campaign to have the boxer
freed from prison.
Denzel Washington truly carries the entire film, with
a performance as fitting a tribute as Bob Dylan's eponymous song from the 1970's.
7/10
