"Hate put me in prison, love's gonna bust me out..."      

THE HURRICANE (R)

Reviewed January 21, 2000 - Check out The Hurricane Website.

Studio Synopsis: In June 1966, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (Denzel Washington) was a strong contender for the middleweight boxing title. When three people were murdered in a New Jersey bar, Carter's dreams were destroyed. Driving home from a nearby club, Carter was erroneously arrested for the murders and sentenced to serve three life terms in prison. Several years later, Carter's published memoir, The 16th Round, inspired a Brooklyn teenager (Vicellous Reon Shannonand) and three Canadian activists (Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber, John Hannah), who believed in the truth, to join forces with Carter to prove his innocence. Their extraordinary efforts, commitment and love ultimately secured his release, leaving "Hurricane" to sum up his 20 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit by simply stating, "Hate got me into this place, love got me out."

Fuzzydog Review: First, let's dispell any initial misconceptions: The Hurricane is not a boxing movie.  Sure, the film opens with a number of boxing sequences which highlight Rubin Carter's career as a great prize-fighter, but the story then quickly evolves into an serious drama about justice, racial tensions and personal inner strength.  Denzel Washington, who brilliantly portrays the wrongly-convicted Carter, is an absolute joy to watch in this film, displaying great depth as he shows us Carter's battles with both his inner demons and external foes.  Pride in the face of defeat...there's a certain admirable nobility to this, and it's a quality that Carter's character possesses and Washington's performance celebrates.  For this, The Hurricane is a film that's well worth recommending.  Carter's story is both tragic and uplifting, and the fact that it's based on actual events only adds to the dramatic impact of this film.  If you've got a couple of hours to spare, check this one out... :-)

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

Bridget gives this movie  stars: "It was such a great movie." (2/3/00)