Whatever you do, go see this film!

Rating: Null/10 (30 January 2000)

I admit shying away from this film at first because the standard "wrongful imprisonment" motif can be depressing. But here is a film that tells an honest story without falling back on the usual cliches. No shower rape scenes, no racist beatings in the kitchen, none of that. Rather, we are treated to a non-linear narrative following both the life of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and the life of Lezra, the African-American boy who persuaded his White Canadian tutors to take up the Hurricane's cause. At a time where silly filmgoers seem to hunger for stories told in a unique, non-linear fashion (witness the popularity of "Pulp Fiction" years ago), one should rush to "The Hurricane" and see the non-linear narrative structure put to good effect.
Perhaps the best reason to see this film is Denzel Washington. Here, Denzel puts in one of his most powerful performances in years, capturing the subtleties of change Rubin Carter undergoes in his quest for justice, then survival, and finally transcendence. As a writer, I found his speech on the power of written word to be the most moving film monologue I've heard in years.
White audiences, by the way, should not shy away from this film because of its Black protagonist and racial issues. This is an indictment of racism as a concept, and even the Hurricane finds his eyes opened a bit (for years, he holds a hatred of whites that he must eventually cast off to allow the love of his white friends).
I can think of no other way to say this. See the film. See it once and see it again. It's the best of 1999.