Unnrecognised Drama Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2005)

In this drama masterpiece we see the greatest actor of all time(in my opinion)at his dramatical best which he would of no doubt won an Oscar if the facts which were misrepresented by the producers,directors and the people working behind the scenes of the film were corrected(which was of no fault of Washington)in this film where we also observe the gradual yet monumental emergence of the young African-American actor Vicellous Reon Shannon's debut the relationship between these two is memorable and carries the film exceptionally well through the 2 hour 25 minute runtime certainly without the help of fellow cast members who's acting in general was mediocre despite having a significant part to play in Shannon's relationship with Washington.The film is about a African-American middleweight champion boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter who is wrongly convicted of murder of two white men and spends nearly 20 years in jail(I know it sounds like a typical storyline where the black guy gets discriminated upon by the racist police of 30s America but don't judge the film until you've watched it)Carter has 2 appeals rejected then turns his attention and concentration on writing an autobiography which like his appeals came across adversity yet his autobiography where in it he proclaims his innocence and explains why he is innocent. The book is picked by Lesra Martin a young aspirational African-American male student who with some of his fellow white Canadian friends fights Carter's case for freedom and visits him regularly in jail where some exceptional emotional acting from Washington takes place.When Martin sends his outstanding college results accompanied with a beautiful emotional letter and moment is one of the pinnacles of the film,(Perfect piece of filming by Jewison). Eventually Washington is freed after the substantial legal flaws in the case which is mentioned in his autobiography are unearthed and presented to a modern day judge and jury. The film is my favourite and Washington after watching this film and his other masterpieces became my favourite actor (a excellent role model for African-Americans)and if the misrepresented facts in the film were corrected hands-down Washington would of one won his first Best Actor Oscar at the time eventually winning the accolade with his more publicised masterpiece 'Training Day' in 2001 (although he should of won at least two more Oscars for 'Mo' Better Blues' and 'Malcolm X'... well he is black) The film is highly recommended.