First of all....I loved it.

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2000)

First of all....I loved it. Denzel Washington's best film to date and that definitely was not an easy task for him to accomplish. If you recently enjoyed seeing Denzel in the "Bone Collector" then you'll love him as the "Hurricane". "The Hurricane" is based on a true story of Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, a contender for the World's Middleweight Championship in the 1960s. That is until he is arrested and convicted for the murder of three people. From the beginning the audience is led to believe that Carter is wrongly accused and convicted solely on the actions of a corrupt police official and on the rising racial tensions of that time period. Many times movies have taken liberties with a story and presented it in such a fashion to make the audience believe what they are seeing is completely and 100% true and accurate. We went through it with the movie "JFK" and "Nixon" to name just two stories based upon "truth". However, "The Hurricane" is different. You watch this film and you can't believe the injustice that you are seeing nor can you imagine that such an injustice could continue for almost 20 years. But it can and it did. Check out any web site on Hurricane Carter and you are amazed with what you will find. This film details the story of a young man living in Canada who picks up a book at a used book sale. The book is written by Rubin Carter and chronicles his life from youth through incarceration. The young man writes Rubin Carter in prison to tell him of the impact that his book has had on his life and in return the youth begins to have an impact upon Carter. From here you are thrown into a web of deceit and corruption as the youth and his legal guardians attempt to free Rubin Carter from prison. Throughout the film, you can't help but imagine that you are watching an A&E biography of the man rather than a movie. The film keeps your interest throughout, but it is not until the final courtroom scene when Rod Steiger playing a Federal Judge hears Rubin's case and has to make a decision. It has been a long time since I have been at a film where the audience breaks out in applause and cheers towards the close of a movie, but "The Hurricane" does it to you. It draws you in from the beginning and doesn't let go until you, as an audience member, personally grasp the injustice. Bottom line...Denzel Washington will surely be a contender, as Rubin was. Let's just hope Denzel wins.