Consummate story-telling at its best

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2000)

The Hurricane took me by storm! It is riveting story-telling cutting deeply into our deepest emotions. Finely woven autobiography and historical profiling rolled into one. Denzel Washington plays the role of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter with such utter conviction that it is difficult to remember he is the actor, not the man, himself. I couldn't take my eyes from the screen whenever he was there. Assured direction from Norman Jewison boosts this story from the ordinary bio-pic to a masterpiece of pacing where the audience's emotions are taken on a rollercoaster ride. It's not manipulative of our emotions, as some films can be. The truth of the man's life and times and those who were drawn into his exoneration are moving alone. I found the portrayal of the Canadians much less stereotyped than other non-Canadian productions, although I found myself watching John Hannah who played the Canadian Terry. I'm accustomed to hearing his Scottish accent as I've seen his work in the UK. It's hard not to "see" him in his role in "Four Weddings and a Funeral." The only part I thought was a bit "over-the-top" was the prisoners' reaction to the release of Carter. It felt to me like deja-vu. The most original device was Rubin in isolation his personality battling as he struggles with the conflicts inside himself