The Hurricane

Plot synopsis:
The film tells the story of middleweight boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, who was convicted of committing a triple murder in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey. His sentence was set aside after he had spent nearly 20 years in prison. The film concentrates on Rubin Carter's life between 1966 and 1985. It describes his fight against the conviction for triple murder and how he copes with nearly 20 years in prison.
A parallel plot follows Lesra Martin, an underprivileged youth from Brooklyn, now living in Toronto. In the 1980s, the child becomes interested in Carter's life and circumstances after reading Carter's autobiography. He convinces his Canadian foster family to commit themselves to Carter's case. The story culminates with Carter's legal team's successful pleas to Judge H. Lee Sarokin of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
In 1966, Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter was a top-ranked middleweight boxer, expected by many fans to become the world's greatest boxing champion. When three victims, specifically the club's bartender and a male and a female customer, were shot to death in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey, Carter and his friend John Artis, driving home from another club in Paterson, were stopped and interrogated by the police.
Although the police asserted that Carter and Artis were innocent and thus, "were never suspects," a man named Alfred Bello, a suspect himself in the killings, claimed that Carter and Artis were present at the time of the murders. On the basis of Bello's testimony, Carter and Artis were convicted of the triple homicide in the club, Carter was given three consecutive life sentences.
Throughout the trial, Carter proclaimed his innocence, claiming that his race, his boxing career and status and his work as a civil rights activist were the real reasons for his conviction. Eight years later, Bello and a co-suspect, Arthur Bradley, who also claimed that Carter was present at the scene of the crimes, renounced and recanted their testimony. As a result, Carter and Artis were convicted once again.
Afterwards, the plot goes back to Lesra Martin, who works with a trio of Canadian activists to push the State of New Jersey to reexamine Carter's case.
In 1985, a Federal District Court ruled that the prosecution in Carter's second trial committed "grave constitutional violations" and that his conviction was based on racism rather than facts. However, Carter was finally freed, and he summed up his story by saying, "Hate got me into this place, love got me out."

Tags: inspiring, violence, murder

Review:
It WAS NOT a "typical Denzel role." He convincingly played Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, raised full of hate for and distrust of white people.
It's a masterful piece of filmmaking that proves Norman Jewison's skill as a director, as he transcends the cliche-bound script and, with the help of Washington and company, makes it a powerful entity all its own.As the Hurricane, Denzel Washington proves he is one of the best actors (if not THE best) in the business today.
Norman Jewison directs with a deft surehandedness reminiscent of his late 1960s/early 1970s glory years, Denzel Washington delivers perhaps the most awe-inspiring performance of the year, and the audience goes home happy and feeling good about themselves and the world.
The movie marks the most stellar performance from Denzel Washington as he portrays the character "Hurricane".
Denzel's great!I completely felt in love with this movie, in which you can find extreme endurance, strong courage, ultimate love and a very realistic character starred by Washington.
- Contrary to the film, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter failed a lie detector test just hours after the Lafayette Grill triple murder in 1966, according to the man who gave him the test, John J.
This Is Not A True Story Or An Accurate Bio-Pic. The problem with this movie is summed up in the very first scene where Rubin " Hurricane " Carter fights Emile Griffith for the world welterweight championship in 1963 .
You might also be shocked to know that Carter was never in fact much more than an average fighter who was well past his prime when arrested for murder so why this movie is making out that Rubin Carter would have been a boxing great if it wasn't for being WRONGLY convicted of murder I have no idea .
If you read the FACTS ( Something the producers of this movie clearly haven't done ) of the Carter case you might not think he's guilty but you'll instantly realise that this story is entirely fictional .
Okay there's an opening disclaimer pointing out that some of the characters are composites and some scenes are dramatized but people with no prior knowledge of the facts won't realise just how disgraceful this film is at changing facts into something entirely different I have awarded THE HURRICANE three out of ten and it would have got even less if it wasn't for the good performances and some technical achievements in editing and cinematography.
Fairly good movie, but not a true story.Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was a notorius liar, a murder and was never found not guilty.
Further more, most of the the movie is done via Denzel's narration, as his character recounts the story of Hurrican Carter's life.
I need to warn people who watch this film, even though Denzel is a great actor who always gives a fine performance, to say the least this film needs to be taken with a grain of salt because its basically biased fiction with extensive "dramatic license".
Make no bones about it, the Hurricane is a movie knee deep in Hollywoods twisted idea of reality, and by that I mean why tell the truth when a lie makes for a much better film?
Framed by a white cop for a murder he didn't commit, boxer Ruben 'Hurricane' Carter tries to free himself from the constrains of his cell mentally by studying, picking over his case and writing his autobiography.
As the two get to know one another through letters and meetings, Lesra and his teachers devote themselves to getting Carter freedom through a successful appeal.Despite the fact that the basics of the story is interesting and compelling, this film only manages to be reasonable entertaining rather than compelling because it never really goes deeper than the basics.
Part of the problem may be Jewison himself as his background is of a time where things could be as simple as, literally, black and white  but he brings that view to this movie and the story (and even the truth) appear to suffer as a result.In Jewison's world there is no complex issues, no legal technicalities, no nothing  there is only a good black man who has been framed by bitter, racist cops even though everything points to his innocence; and boy, does Jewison spread it on thick!
Washington made me believe this man's inner struggle by looks, words, tone of voice  this is the performance he deserved his Oscar for, not the more showy (and less controversial) one in Training Day. Shannon is also good even if he is far from central to the film.
Pastore, Steiger, Yulin and Paymer all add the feeling of depth in minor roles but really this is Washington's film and he is a big reason I found it entertaining.Overall this was potentially an interesting, compelling and emotional film based on an intriguing real life story of injustice.
Washington's performance and well written dialogue makes the film worth seeing but I was surprised by the film's ability to take an interesting and compelling story and simplify it to the point of lacking any real punch (sorry  he starts with a pun and he ends with a pun!).
Before you buy into this film's one-sided propaganda,check out the website www.graphicwitness/carter,it shows this is a very slanted,dishonest movie.I used to believe Carter was a victim of racism,& bought into his claims of innocence.This website does a lot to show Carter is,to quote the Cyberboxing Zone,a"lying punk".Carter had a long history of anti-social violence from his teens.Perhaps the biggest lie in the movie is where he saved a friend from a child molester.What really happened was he attacked a man to rob him,& viciously beat & stabbed him.Joey Giardello was not pummeled by Carter & given the decision by racist judges.Giardello filed a defamation suit against the producers,which was settled out of court.In fact,Carter said in his book that Giardello was the winner.Carter's career in the ring was fading at the time of the murders,in his last 15 fights,he was7-7-1.Please check out this website to get the other side of the story..
Despite a fine performance by Denzel Washington, the writers and director have too little regard for the audience to make this a really great film.Some dramatic license is understood and expected, especially since a story of this nature is difficult to fit into a single movie.
Taking this approach would not only have made for a better story, but I suspect would have been more accurate.5/10, mostly for a good soundtrack, nice production, and largely good performances, particularly Denzel Washington, who has better movies out there..
A character and reality that lives nowhere except on a Hollywood script.Perhaps the greatest insult of this film is toward the man they made the film about, rather than the white audiences, in that they felt he wouldn't be likable or sympathetic if they told the truth, which the real man in radio interviews seems perfectly willing to do.I've seen my last Denzel Washington film.
THE HURRICANE (1999) ***1/2Starring: Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, John Hannah, Deborah Unger, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Dan Hedaya, Debbi Morgan, Clancy Brown, David Paymer, and Rod Steiger Directed by Norman Jewison.
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.
Anybody undertaking even the most cursory of research will inevitably realize that Carter is a congenital liar and fantasist and twists the truth even in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence; no - his first victim wasn't a paedophile but was hit over the head with a bottle so his watch could be stolen by Carter, no - he wasn't a very good boxer and was a has-been at the time of his arrest, no - he fairly lost his one title fight and his opponent successfully sued the film for the suggestion that it was a racist decision, yes - he was a criminal with multiple convictions for robbery and violence, no - he was a terrible soldier with four court martials and no medals, no- he was not involved in the civil rights movement in any way, yes - there were black jurors (2) at his trial, no - he failed a lie detector test and refused to take another one, no - he was pulled over by the police within 10 minutes of the 911 call because his car matched exactly the description given by witnesses but was let go because he was the well-known boxer It is a sobering example of just how frighteningly powerful propaganda can be and how easy it was for Hitler and Stalin to lodge their ideas in the minds of the masses..
From what was said by the less gullible commentators, the true character of the "Hurricane" was in fact more like that of the nasty murderous cop Denzel had played in "Training Day" than this persevering family man who has up to this point triumphed over undeserved adversity.
For years I waited for some movie to be made about Rubin Carter, because I loved to see him box at the old MSG, and to see this movie was very disappointing.I have alot of respect for Mr Washington, but he was awful and boring.There is really nothing good to say about this movie except I did like the song..
If he and director Norm Jewison wanted to tell the fictional story of a racist system framing an African American, they should have done so honestly and openly, and not by furtively concealing the true nature of Carter, or the facts surrounding his conviction, twice, for murder.
The problem is their hero really committed the crime and the true story is that if you have enough Hollywood celebrities making noise, Bob Dylan to write a song for you, and can find a court pro-criminal enough to use technicalities to overturn two jury verdicts (the second jury had two blacks on it by the way), then you can triumph over justice and eventually have a movie made about you.
As expected, Denzel Washington does an incredible job, and he's helped by the fact that his lines are the only ones that sound like they were written by someone who has actually come into contact with people in the real world.
I mean, there are some really good lines ("You know, not all white people are racists." "Yeah, and not all black people are murderers."), and some funny moments (they really don't warrant to more than a mild chuckle, but they're good attempts, and I'm really reaching for reasons to like this movie that is Socially Conscious and that everyone else will, as usual with Socially Conscious movies that ride the coat-tails of their capital letters, love and weep over and use as an excuse to pick a fight with me over my tastes in films), but I'm not someone who watches movies purely for the story being told.
Aside from a couple of good lines and a great performance by Denzel Washington, this movie didn't have anything to like other than the emotional force of its story, and I'm truly sorry to be admitting this, but that's just not enough for me.
No one would want to be caught in such a situation, and when watching this film you can't get rid of the mind "what would i do in this kind of a situation" - i think Ruben did what a Strong person would do - he has locked himself from the inside and throw away the key until one kid finally found it.This i truly great biography, kind a dark but at the same time inspiring story , lead by an amazing performance by one of the all time best - Denzel Washington..
Denzel Washington gives a great performance, he makes you believe he's Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.
Ironically, Norman Jewison was filming bigotry ("In the Heat of the Night" in 1967 and "A Soldier's Story in 1984) even as a man named Ruben 'Hurricane' Carter was forced to live it.
Denzel Washington gives another Oscar caliber performance as Rubin -Hurricane- Carter.
It should also receive Oscar nominations for Director Norman Jewison & Best Adapted Screenplay.Check out the official movie site  http://www.the-hurricane.com/ and buy Rubin Carter's memoir  --The 16th Round-- at www.Amazon.comYOU may not need to bring your hankie, but it did make me cry..
One of the best films I've seen for years, this is absolutely excellent all round, from the script to the directing, to the cast, to Denzel Washington himself as the wrongly convicted boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter.Set in the 22 years from his conviction to his release, The Hurricane is the story of racism, corruption, hope, and above all, one man's torment.When I say torment, the peace and tranquility Carter found while in prison is amazing, as is his drive and determination to keep going - a lesser man would have died in half the time.Washington shows his brilliance as a convincing character actor yet again in what, perhaps along with the Green Mile, is the film of the 90s.The Hurricane deserves all the accolades and awards it got [which are nowhere enough by the way] and a whole lot more..
Since we do not get to know these characters as fully fleshed-out human beings, we watch these scenes with an attitude of detached disinterest rather than intense emotional involvement Perhaps, the story of Ruben `Hurricane' Carter is too diverse a one to be successfully encapsulated even in a film that runs an impressive 146 minutes.I realize, of course, that I have not yet mentioned Denzel Washington's impressive performance as Carter.
Denzel Washington gives an excellent performance as Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer who was imprisoned for 20 years in connection to a triple homicide.
Denzel Washington stars as Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, an up and coming African-American boxer who lived in Paterson, New Jersey.
The performances are really what make this movie, the majority of the credit going to Denzel Washington of course, who truly became Rubin Carter, you can see it in the dramatic scenes, the boxing scenes, it is very clear throughout that he understood and really felt for this man's story.
Sincere performances and a very intriguing story, I would recommend the Hurricane to anyone looking for a good drama or biography film.
Norman Jewison ("Moonstruck", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Fiddler on the Roof") directs the story of boxing prodigy, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (Washington) whose life is turned upside down by his wrongful conviction for murder.Having spent half of his first 20 years in juvenile prison thanks to the close attentions of a racist police officer (Hedaya - "The Usual Suspects", "Shaft", "Maverick"), Carter focuses his anger and aggression to become one of the world's leading middle-weight boxing contenders.
My only regret is that this is marketed as the true story of Rubin Carter when in reality a lot of the facts have been changed to make the movie more dramatic.
During his two decades of incarceration, a group of supporters refused to let the fight end, giving everything to help him fight for freedom.The movie is based on true events as told by Rubin Carter himself, he was released in 1985 but he was never actually exonerated of any crimes, and the debate surrounding his guilt is very easy to access via many websites, so i do treat this film as fiction not fact.Whatever the real truth is, for me it didn't distract me from what is a very powerful and intriguing film; and Denzel Washington is simply fantastic throughout.It is a great film, but it's better to think of it as fiction 7/10.
Denzal Washington simply is the movie he makes the film sizzle and that is a glowing tribute to an extraordinary man Rubin Hurricane Carter..
Maybe the makers of the film got here before anyone else did and as such have printed up positive reviews about the Hurricane,the fim about the 1960 middleweight contender Rubin Hurricane Carter played by ,who else, but Denzel Washington.
Does the film have flaws?Of course it does.Carter was given three life sentences for a crime HE says he did not commit,and the movie goes overboard giving only his side of the story.As with all Hollywood pictures the true story of Carter involvement in the murder he was accused of will not be told totally.What for it is his story after all.THE HURRICANE!Oh well so much for evenhandedness.
The police are portrayed as comic book villians so the credability of this film is thrown out from the get go.The Hurricane is a curious study to say the least,at least in our age.When Carter was put in prison the civil rights movement was still going on.Now his story seems old as the political correctness of our times has even things out between people or made them more seperate whichever way you want to look at it.
How many people out there know the true facts of this case?Shall the real story of this man and his trial and his crime be told.In this corny movie the answer is no..
Washington plays Rubin "Hurricane" Carter with such perfection not seen in a very long time.
It may not be historically accurate as we would like, but it's still true enough to the source material that we actually believe the events that happened in the movie.Norman Jewison's film is about a guy named Rubin "Hurricane" Carter who has dealt with the law since before he was a teenager.
The dialogues, especially those between Carter and Lesra and Lisa, are outstanding.In addition, 'The Hurricane' further showcases Denzel Washington's performance.
It is also crucial for a biopic to have at least good performances and Washington's nuanced portrayal really makes 'The Hurricane' a strong movie.
Watching "The Hurricane", I was moved by Denzel Washington's portrayal of wrongly imprisoned boxer Rubin Carter.
Denzel Washington portrays Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a champion prize fighter that is unjustly sentenced to prison for murder.