Genres

Visitors Review

2013-06-16 21:08:11

The Hurricane is great art, but is not a documentary

What is the proof that The Hurricane is such a great film? Above all other reasons is this: It has inspired so much heated controversy. If it was dull, poorly written, and badly acted, no one would care to hate it with the vigor that its most strident critics do. But know this from the start: unlike its stranch fans whose reviews appear below claim, it is NOT a true story. It is a fictionalization of a real person. Without exception, not one scene of the film actually happened the way Norman Jewison's direction portrays it. And very few scenes are even remotely close to real events. You cannot fault Jewison or his screenwriters with taking such liberties with actual events any more than you can fault Monet or Picasso for not producing paintings that look like Koda-crome prints. Jewison is an artist, not a historian; a storyteller, not a court reporter.Also keep in mind that the film is based on Carter's book (and the Canadians', too) so it is not a master stroke of objectivity. Many of the sorted details of Carter's life are purposefully left out. By some definitions, Carter could fairly be said to be a "career criminal." His boxing career is very overstated. (He had a pro record of merely 27-12-1 and he was soundly beaten in his middleweight championship bout of 1964. The portrayal of the legal battles is very simplistic in the film. But again, don't blame Jewison for his choices here. The real legal history of the case is rather dry and technical. He was never "proven" not guilty. Rather, the federal court found that his second trial was not a fair one, and thus he was never correctly found to be guilty in the first place. NJ could have tried him a third time, but declined to do so. (And he was released from prison for over a year between the two trials.)Still Carter's case is a compelling story, and with a little adjusting and rearranging, makes good drama. The greatness of the film is its art. It is superbly acted, and Jewison does a wonderful job keeping the focus tightly on the Lasra/Rubin relationship. So what if he weaves the activities of hundreds of real life people in the case into a composited of about into about ten film characters. So does the film "A Civil Action."And there is some very real reasonable doubt about whether Carter committed these murders. The internet abounds with sites that claim that he is a guilty man walking free. That claim is highly suspect, especially since most of the eye witnesses (including one victim) failed to identify Carter as the killer even when shown his face (in an investigation procedure that is now illegal in the U.S.) within hours of the murders. Was Carter guilty or innocent? This movie is not the place to go to seek an answer to that question. The question the movie does answer is more important than that specific question. It tells us that in this country, our sadistic lust to blame people we think might be guilty or we merely want to be guilty can and does easily cause us to convict and punish the innocent. Don't fool yourself: It happens every day. Only courage and love can allow us to overcome our hateful temptations.

Kev-106 2013-06-16 12:25:11

Very, very boring biopic

I watched this film on DVD and found it extremely boring. I couldn't waitfor it to end. Denzel Washington plays the wronged noble black man actagain. The pace of the film was sooo slow & in the end I couldn't carelesswhat happened to him. Can't believe some reviews saying this is a greatfilm- it is far from great. It wants to be good but is boring rubbish. Takemyadvice - avoid like the plague.

Roland E. Zwick 2013-05-29 17:43:11

more about writing than boxing

The most startling revelation about Norman Jewison's film `The Hurricane' isthat this true-life account of middleweight champion Ruben `Hurricane'Carter turns out to be more about the glories of writing than of boxing. Infact, almost no time at all in the film is dedicated to chronicling thedetails of Carter's fighting career but rather to the attempts made by himand others on his behalf to prove his innocence in a murder case thatresulted in his serving a nearly 20-year long prison sentence.The sympathies of the filmmakers clearly lie with Carter, although a numberof people have, since the release of the film, challenged some of the film'sreliability and veracity. As one completely unacquainted with the facts ofthe case as they initially played themselves out, I am certainly in noposition to adjudge the authenticity and accuracy of the film. As a pieceof drama, however, `The Hurricane' generates an impressive amount ofinterest in the viewer and even attains emotional greatness in a few scenes. Because the film is trying to come at the story from so many differentangles, it occasionally feels a bit like a patchwork – part boxing film,part prison drama, part investigative thriller, part inspirational feel-gooddrama - rather than a completely unified work of art. And, understandably,the film is more successful in some of those areas than inothers.The first half of the film is pretty standard issue stuff. We get, perhaps,a somewhat overly sketchy portrayal of the events in Carter's life beforethe fateful night in Paterson, NJ when he found himself the prime suspect ata murder scene. We see Carter as an 11-year old boy getting in trouble withthe law for defending himself against a pedophile who turns out to be awell-respected and highly placed figure in the local community. Thisincident introduces him to the Paterson sergeant (Dan Hedaya) who plays theJavert to Carter's Jean Valjean, dedicating his life to seeing that Carternever lives his life outside prison, hounding him out of a misguided senseof self-righteous zeal – an obsession aggravated by the galling fact thatCarter has since gone on to achieve international notoriety in the ring. Asin many of the early sections of the film, the writers Armyan Bernstein andDan Gordon fail to portray the incidents in Carter's life in a well-rounded,totally believable way. We find it hard to understand just why this oneblack child – among a vast number in Paterson one presumes – would fire upthis sergeant's passion so intensely. We also are rushed along throughCarter's early stints in prison, his time in the military, his rise to famein the boxing world, sometimes with little more than voice-over excerptsfrom Carter's novel to inform us of how much he has learned and changed fromhis experiences. The script is so jumpy at times that we never feel we getto know much about the young Carter at all.Luckily for us, this is not all there is to `The Hurricane.' The writersand director wisely enlarge the canvas of their story to include theteenager, Lesra Martin, whose contact it was with Carter, languishing almostforgotten in prison, that ultimately set the wheels of justice rolling thatwould lead to Carter's eventual release. And herein lies the realemotional core of the story. Lesra, a near-illiterate inner city boy fromBrooklyn, living with some benevolent white liberals in Canada, purchases anold copy of the autobiographical best-selling novel Carter wrote in prison –the first book Lesra has ever read – and becomes so caught up in thesimilarities to his own life pouring off the pages that he decides to writeto Carter in prison. A warm relationship develops between the aging convictand the budding youngster which eventually leads to Lesra's introducingCarter to his mentors who then take up the cause of getting Carter's caseoverturned. The highlight of the film is clearly the mesmerizing,emotionally riveting first encounter between Lesra and Carter; we sitspellbound as the two hurting individuals grope tentatively towards oneanother, each seeking that connection with (and recognition from) the otheron the common ground of their parallel life experiences that they need sodesperately. As the two discuss the liberating effect their writing has onboth of them, the film becomes a glorious paean to the power and might ofthe written word. It is a truly unforgettable scene.Unfortunately, the film only achieves that gripping emotional power a fewtimes afterwards and in each occasion it is the connection between Lesra andCarter that brings it about. The three Canadian activists who take on thecase for Carter's innocence remain underdeveloped as characters. We wonderhow they can afford to leave their jobs in Canada and dedicate themselvesexclusively to Carter's cause. And why are they always together? Do theyhave any other relationships in their lives or have they taken a vow ofcelibacy to go along with their social crusading? Their successful attemptsto unravel the mystery of what really happened on that night in 1966 areinteresting on the level of historicity but these sequences weaken theemotional drama at the film's core. Since we do not get to know thesecharacters as fully fleshed-out human beings, we watch these scenes with anattitude of detached disinterest rather than intense emotional involvement Perhaps, the story of Ruben `Hurricane' Carter is too diverse a one to besuccessfully encapsulated even in a film that runs an impressive 146minutes.I realize, of course, that I have not yet mentioned Denzel Washington'simpressive performance as Carter. He literally holds the film togethersince there is virtually no scene in which he is not present. Thistour-de-force role allows him to run the emotional gambit from sullen rageand explosive fury to warmhearted tenderness and stoic idealism (and howmany 40-something actors could still convincingly portray a man in his early'20's)? Equally impressive, though, is young Vicellous Reon Shannon's workas the disadvantaged but ever idealistic Lesra. Together these twoextraordinary actors take `The Hurricane' to impressive emotional heights. This is their film all the way and it undoubtedly does `The Hurricane'himself proud.

blanche-2 2013-05-29 15:51:39

Inspirational

We are always told that our justice system is the best in the world.Given the fact that this film is based on a true story and also givensome recent verdicts, I think the reason for the statement is sobering-- if this system is the best, imagine how horrible other systems mustbe.This film tells the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a prize fighterconvicted of murders in a bar that he didn't commit, railroaded by abigoted cop. Though many people took an interest in Carter's case overthe years, it took a group of young Canadians (Deborah Kara Unger, LievSchreiber, and John Hannah) to come to his aide and not give up. Thisis thanks to their ward's friendship with Hurricane (Lesra Martin), whois inspired by Hurricane's book. Carter's courageous story is certainly one that should be seen. RodSteiger plays the Supreme Court judge, and he's wonderful; soap starDebbie Morgan plays Carter's wife, and she gives an excellentperformance. The entire cast is very believable.A very spiritual film with an amazing performance by Denzel Washington.This is one of a number of incarceration films to hit the screen inrecent years and, with a powerful actor like Denzel in the lead, one ofthe best.

Jizdenky 2013-05-28 06:20:17

'Hate Got Me In But Love Will Bust Me Out'

Jewison's 'The Hurricane' is pretty much a familiar biopic where thehero struggles during his youth, he is wrongfully accused of a heinouscrime and the whole world is against him until, years later, with thehelp of a few friends, he manages to fight the system and win. Thestory is pretty formulaic but Jewison tells it well.The passage of time and growth and aging of characters are welldemonstrated. The pace is a little slow at times but manages to quicklypick up. The reason why such biopics, provided that they're well-made,manage to pull a crowd and grip the viewer is because it reminds of thestruggles one goes through and to fight and overcome obstacles ratherthan give up and give in. The dialogues, especially those betweenCarter and Lesra and Lisa, are outstanding.In addition, 'The Hurricane' further showcases Denzel Washington'sperformance. It is also crucial for a biopic to have at least goodperformances and Washington's nuanced portrayal really makes 'TheHurricane' a strong movie. He is excellently supported by a sincereVicellous Reon Shannon, a beautiful Deborah Kara Unger, and charmingJohn Hannah and Liev Schreiber.On the flip side, while the movie is pretty much in support of theprotagonists, the 'bad' guys are portrayed as full-fledged villains.Den Hedaya's Della absolutely has no redeeming quality and he comesacross as a caricature as do the rest of the racist characters. Likemany biopics, 'The Hurricane' also does not reveal every single manycrucial facts about the case (such as the situations with the liedetector). I also wanted to know more about the Canadians. Who werethey really? Overall 'The Hurricane' could have been a better movie butstill remains an uplifting film that reminds people to fight on,overcome obstacles and believe in love and compassion.

Michael Pilkington 2013-05-27 06:34:20

Preachy, yet powerful 'Hurricane'

Denzel Washington turns in a powerful performance as legendary boxer Rubin"Hurricane" Carter. The movie focuses on Carter from the beginning on howhe dealt with racism his whole life -- even in the ring. After a triplemurder is committed, Carter is wrongfully accused and spends twenty years ofhis life behind bars. While in prison, Carter writes a book on his life and a young AfricanAmerican teenager (Vicellous Reon Shannon) and his three Canadian mentors(Deborah Unger, Liev Schrieber, and John Hannah) become drawn to the bookand try to get Carter exonerated. Starts off slow and preachy for the first half hour, but picks up and getsreally deep and holds your attention until the very end. My evaluation:***½ out of ****.

fiennes1 2013-05-15 10:42:07

good old-fashioned entertainment

Jewison's film is an old-fashioned biopic, complete with pivotal backstory,voiceover narration, and a character who enters the protagonist's life andchanges it immeasurably. It's one ofthose stand-up-and-cheer movies where everyone seems to be against thehero,but above all odds (and with more than a little help from some of hisfriends), he rises above The System and gets his belated due. It's anoft-used scenario, with many scenes that could easily have been taken fromJewison's other films A SOLDIER'S STORY or IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. Yetdespite the familiarity of the storyline, I'll be damned if I wasn'tchokingback tears of elation at the movie's triumphantconclusion. It's a masterful piece of filmmaking that proves NormanJewison's skill as a director, as he transcends the cliche-bound scriptand,with the help of Washington and company, makes it a powerful entity all itsown.As the Hurricane, Denzel Washington proves he is one of the best actors (ifnot THE best) in the business today. He can run the gamut from cold hatredto hearty laughter like few others can.He brings dignity and class to every one of his pictures (he was the onlything worth watching in THE BONE COLLECTOR). Here, he makes you FEEL everysingle thing he's feeling. In times of righteous indignation, you feelmorally outraged alongside him. When he's at his most vulnerable, you canfeel your throat constricting and your eyes watering. He has an uncannyknack for reaching into your soul and making you part of the pictureitself;it's almost as if he's channelling the viewer while acting. Other actorsdelight in wowing the audience with grand theatrics and histrionics, butneglect to make the audience care; Denzel is usually soft-spoken andlow-key, but always holds your attention.In summary, THE HURRICANE was one of the most exhilarating motion pictureexperiences I've had all year. Norman Jewison directs with a deftsurehandedness reminiscent of his late1960s/early 1970s glory years, Denzel Washington delivers perhaps the mostawe-inspiring performance of the year, and the audience goes home happy andfeeling good about themselves andthe world. What more could be asked for?

Maggot-6 2013-05-15 04:58:32

More Nobility from Sir Denzel

I am so tired of seeing Certain actors always portray typeswhoare So Noble in every way and Always Victims.Am I the only straight white male who is sick of being cast time and againas the most vicious and uncool creature alive?For instance,Is it possible that this guy's criminal record *really* beganwhenhe was just protecting another gorgeous black child from aviciouswhite male predator? Are there as many violent pedophiles as thereare muggings by indigent minority criminals?Did some guy *really* (and arbitrarily) choose the imprisonment of Carter tobe his life's work (right out of Victor Hugo!) ??The only actor more "noble" than Denzel is Costner. Take a risk,guys.Act for once.

DaPascha 2013-05-14 14:12:59

Denzel saves the day...

.. for an otherwise not very exciting or brilliant film. The weakpoint really is the screenplay. It deals almost mechanically with the eventsas they happened. Thankfully director Norman Jewison has some nice tricks tokeep the viewer interested and he had the luck of having Denzel Washingtonfor the lead role. IMHO, he should have gotten the Oscar over Kevin Spaceyfor American Beauty...

2013-05-13 20:13:23

Fantastic!

This review is from: The Hurricane (Amazon Instant Video) We are in the process of collecting Denzel Washington films and although this is one that has moved into the past it is definitely worth watching. Washington does an excellent job of portraying the boxer and the telling of the man's story is riveting, but heartbreaking. A true testament to our perverted legal system.This is a film that we will watch regularly and tell our friends about.

kevin shi 2013-04-27 12:53:07

Encouraging

It was a true story. The boxing champion Rubin carter (his nickname iscalled Hurricane) was judged guilty of killing mistakenly. He stayed inthe prison for more than 30 years. After long-time effort, he was setfree in the end.I wonder how many people can endure such suffering. Of cause life isnot all smooth particularly in the present crazy world. So how you dowith misery is the key. Now a good example appeared. The performance ofDenzel Washington is very contagious. I was totally indulged in themovie. It was wonderful experience for me. According to my experience,Denzel is the idealest actor for the role. His unique character andserious style made the role unforgettable. He should have won the Oscaraward (best actor) for it or he did not have to wait for another twoyears (best actor for Training day).I think that the movie was underrated. As comparison, The shawshankredemption is overrated though it is a good film indeed. In my eyes, THis more encouraging than TSR. It will bring you more courage.The most uplifting movie I ever watched. 9/10

2013-04-26 20:59:07

"And the Oscar goes to..."

Well, it should've gone to Washington for his breathtaking performance in this biopic from 2000. Washington captures the very essence of the different modes of "Hurricane" Carter, a man wrongly incarcerated for a crime that he didn't commit. Washington superbly displays the various sides of this most complex man: anger, defiance, reflection, intelligence, humility, and perseverance. As others have hypothesized, Denzel's win for "Training Day" was a reward for Academy oversights for earlier tremendous performances...and his work in "The Hurricane" ranks as one of his best. Besides the work of Washington, the film benefits from marvelous turns from co-star Vicellous Reon Shannon as a young man enamored of the boxer and determined to right the wrong that has befallen Carter. The young man possesses the right amount of "wide-eyed innocence" as he confronts a man that he discovers in a long-forgotten autobiography. Who cannot be moved when man and boy share a tender moment by touching through the bars of the convict's cell???This kid deserved a supporting acting nod, if nothing less. And a film that sports such stellar character performers as Rod Steiger, Debbi Morgan, Dan Hedaya, Harris Yulen, Clancy Brown, and David Paymer is a cut above the others. Liv Shrieber, Deborah Unger, and John Hannah are wonderful as Canadians that assist Shannon's "Lesra" as the lad works to free his friend. While there are a few slow moments, the overall film is worth viewing...and owning.

MovieMan-112 2013-04-23 15:08:19

Wonderful Movie!

This movie, although not completely factual, is one of the best movies of1999. Denzel Washington's performance is the greatest of his career. Theboxing scenes, filmed in black and white, reminded me of the fantasticboxing scenes in Raging Bull. The Hurricane is inspirational and verymoving. The black kid and canadians prove that some people care more about ahuman being than one's one family. "Hate put me in here.....but Love's gonnabust me out!" What words! Rod Steiger makes a cameo as a judge. Dan Hedayais good as the cop obsessed with seeing the hurricane suffer and Pussy fromthe Sopranos has a short but silly role as Alfred Bello, the witness who isbribed to ruin 20 years of the hurricane's life. the 2 hours and 40 minutesfly by. Norman Jewison has struck gold again with this classic drama.

2013-04-23 03:29:41

A powerful and compelling drama

This is a powerful and compelling look at the life of Rubin Hurricane Carter (Denzel Washington) and his highly publicized fight for freedom from imprisonment. Based on a true story, the film is an in-depth character study including Carter's early life, the murders for which he was incarcerated, his coping with prison and his court battles.Veteran director Norman Jewison creates a tight weave of factors affecting Carter's life; his childhood, the turbulent civil rights movement of the 1960's, and the people who came to his defense. It is an impressive panoply of the forces that swept over his life like a tidal wave. The period props and costumes were well done and accurate in the 1960's scenes. I loved the fact that all the fight fans in the arena were wearing suits and ties. Strange as it seems, that's the way it really was in the early 1960's. The camera work was very good and I particularly liked the use of black and white for the fight scenes. Though he plays fast and loose with the facts, combining and inventing characters for dramatic effect, the changes do not substantially detract from the authenticity of the story. Unfortunately, Jewison made a few choices that bogged the film down in the middle and detracted from it.The film presents some good historical footage of the civil rights movement, but gets a little too preachy at times. The character development of Carter and Lesra was good, but the film would have benefited from a little less of Carter's internment angst and more time in character development of the Canadians. Jewison also presented Detective Della Pesca (Dan Hedaya) as an evil character of superhuman proportions, an inconceivable depiction.This was a superb performance by Denzel Washington, perhaps his best to date. His portrayal of the internal struggle to use his seething anger to help him survive was sensational. He got himself into tremendous shape for the boxing scenes and handled himself well in the ring.I was also impressed with Vicellous Reon Shannon who played Lesra. He exuded sincerity, toughness and genuine empathy, and had very good chemistry with Washington.This strong drama grabs you like a boa and doesn't let up. I rated it an 8/10. It is worth seeing for Denzel Washington's performance alone.

Embley 2013-04-09 05:31:35

Incredible story, great film

The story is too unbelievable to be real, it is horrifying and ridiculous,and fantastically told by Norman Jewison and Denzel Washington. Washingtonis a force to reckon with in this film. I can't imagine anyone else couldhave pulled off the role. He is amazing.The story here is overwhelming and I am disturbed as of late to hear rumoursthat the script is nowhere close to reality. I have looked into this alittle further and can find no indication at all that the film hasmisportrayed any instance except perhaps a few instances that would havebeen difficult or confusing to the audience. It isn't supposed to be adocumentary. Anyway if anyone has further information regarding this pleaselet me know - my email is embley@excite.com.This movie was very good and deserves more than it has gotten. RubinHurricane Carter must be a rare and amazing individual.

Philip Van der Veken 2013-04-08 19:59:29

Almost no boxing scenes, but this movie is still full of action

However it's very hard to compare two completely different people, youcould say that, by playing the role of Malcolm X in the movie with thesame title, Denzel Washington already knew what it was to make a biopicabout a great black man."The Hurricane" tells the story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a boxerwho was falsely accused and imprisoned for a triple murder he hadnothing to do with. Many people demonstrated to get him free and heonce wrote a book about all that happened to him, but it never helpedhim to get free. Years of imprisonment have left him disillusioned andbitter, but than a young Afro-American boy, who also had a difficultyouth, and his Canadian mentors start reading the book and soon getconvinced about Carter's innocence. They will do everything to get himfree, but they will soon find out that the racist and hatingestablishment isn't all too happy with their efforts to liberate him...Normally I'm not a huge fan of "true stories", because they are broughtin such a way that it is no longer convincing. Well, I can't say thatabout this movie. The people who created this movie kept it all veryrealistic and believable. I might even call it touching. What surprisedme even more about this movie was that it never showed much boxingscenes. It's about a boxer and yet most of the scenes are in the jail.Only a few boxing scenes are shown, but still this movie was full of'action'.I admit that I never expected it, but I enjoyed this movie more than Icould ever imagine. Especially Denzel Washington's performance isexcellent. The other actors did a good job as well, but he was justoutstanding. I give this movie an 8.5/10. This is definitely a mustsee.

2013-04-07 17:43:22

HOAX

I am astounded that so few people understand that this movie was a shameful distortion of the facts. Carter was never exonerated, was not the #1 contender for the crown, was not robbed in the Giardello fight, was not hounded by an evil, racist cop, was not in another part of town when the murders took place and finally, was probably not innocent of triple murder. Read some balanced accounts of his case and you will dismiss this movie as the piece of garbage that it is.

LasseG11 2013-04-07 10:39:24

one of the greatest movies ever

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter gets thrown into jail for something he never did.Fantastic movie that makes you cry with this man who spends more than halfof his life in jail, just because he is black. Fitting to the great truestory is the famous actor Danzel Washington who really deserved an AcademyAward for his great job, but just got unlucky that Kevin Spacey also had agreat movie that year. Making the movie one of the best all time is thegreat music, specially the all known song "The Hurricane" from the greatestBob Dylan. The Hurricane deserved the Oscar that year more than any othermovie, but it was probably just too political for the academy or it justmade the US didn't look like as perfect as they are suppose to be. Just nota movie that is representing the land of the free, thats probably why itdidn't even get nominated for best picture. My respect to this movie to "TheHurricane", Rubin Carter.

Peter Nikolajsen 2013-03-24 22:38:05

Denzel did it again

Probably one of the most insightful movies Denzel Washington have evermade.I was truly moved by his superb acting. He is one of our times greatestactors no doubt about that.Denzel provides you with a look into human nature. I think with myinsufficient knowledge about the true story that the movie shows you howracial the world has been and how racial it is.No more comments.Just see the film. It is worth it.

2013-03-24 10:22:45

Entertaining bio with a great performance from Washington

"The Hurricane" tells the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (played by Denzel Washington), the boxer framed for murder and who served 19 years in prison before being exonerated in 1985. The movie, directed by Norman Jewison ("Moonstruck," "A Soldier's Story), goes back and forth through time, interspursing Carter's early life and boxing career with scenes from his prison life.The movie seems disjointed, combining the black-and-white slow motion boxing scenes of "Raging Bull" with the plot of a prisoner framed for murder with stirring music ("Shawshank Redemption") who remakes himself by self-education in prison ("Malcolm X"). (Jewison, by the way was supposed to have made the biographical film of Malcolm X, only to let Spike Lee make the movie when Lee protested having a white man do it. This was fortunate, since "Malcolm X" is a much stronger movie than "The Hurricane," with a clearer, more effective structure and better storytelling.)The movie also draws its lines between good and evil in a simplistic fashion, as the bad Detective Pesca (Dan Hedaya) takes aim at the wholesome Carter. It does not draw the depth in its characters that a "Malcolm X" or "American Beauty" does and loses credibility because of it.One major reason this film is entertaining despite these problems is the acting, especially the strong performance of Washington, who immerses himself in the role (and who probably should have won the Best Acting Oscar). Also very strong is Vicellous Reon Shannon as the 15-year-old boy who reads Carter's biography and is inspired to help free Carter (as well as eventually go to college). Carter's story is the other force driving this movie -- in today's society, where calling a racist a "racist" is often considered more offensive than being a racist, the story of a boxer likely on his way to the world championship is put in prison (and kept there well into the 1980's) is sobering.