Review of The Hurricane (1999) by James M — 04 Feb 2013

Denzel Washington plays Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in this drama that won him the Oscar for best actor. Rubin Carter was a boxer that was falsely convicted of murder, and was given multiple life sentences. He was a professional boxer that could knock you out in the first round with a style of really quick and hard punches. His he had a record of 27-12-1 with 19 total knockouts in his short boxing career, before he was convicted.

On June 17th 1966 two men entered bar and opened fire. Two people died instantly, and one woman lived for another man and passed. A man said he saw two black men running out of the bar. Two cops pull over Rubin when he is in the passenger seat of a white car driven by another black man. He is immediately taken in as a suspect. Though the one who didn't die at first says it wasn't him, due to police corruption he is given a life sentence for all three of "his victims", that he didn't actually kill, or have anything to do with. Police corruption, and racism is what did him in.

"Here comes the story of the Hurricane.

The man the authorities came to blame.

For something that he never done.

Put him in a prison cell but one time he could-a been.

The champion of the world." - Bob Dylan.

That famous Bob Dylan song, which is actually my favorite, was written while people were protesting, and wanting him to be released. He would have been the heavyweight champion of the world if it weren't for him being in prison. That song sums up his whole story. He got the nickname "Hurricane" because an announcer once said, "Rubin Carter came through like a hurricane." He said that after one of his knockouts. This is the 2nd review of a film I have written where I used that was written about the same story to help summarize the film. The first time I did that was 8 Mile.

Three bodies lying there does Patty see.

And another man named Bello moving around mysteriously.

"I didn't do it" he says and he throws up his hands.

"I was only robbing the register I hope you understand.

I saw them leaving" he says and he stops.

"One of us had better call up the cops" - Bob Dylan.

After the shooting a man who witnessed the whole thing decided to rob the register. A woman walked in and caught him. So he made up a lie that two black men did it, so she wouldn't think he did it to rob the place. A total scumbag, and a coward that guy was. The film has a lot of heart-warming things in it, but a lot of things like that, which really anger you. I can't even imagine how bitter Rubin Carter must have been when he was in prison and when he got out.

"When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road.

Just like the time before and the time before that.

In Patterson that's just the way things go.

If you're black you might as well not SHOW up on the street.

'Less you wanna draw the heat." - Bob Dylan.

That is probably the most intense lyric in the song. Rubin Carter was driving home from a club really late, and he got convicted of murder. That shows how extreme racism, and prejudice was during the time. He can't even come home from a club late at night without "drawing the heat.".

He wrote a biography called "The Sixteenth Round" during the first few years of his sentence. One buy picked up a used copy of it, and read it. He started writing to Rubin and he wrote back. Eventually that boy and the family he was living with decided to try to get him out. He failed a couple of trials and appeals, but eventually he was proven innocent. There is a lot of heart-warming stuff with Rubin and the kid. Usually stuff where a kid is reaching out to an adult in pain is very touching, and it is remarkable in this case, because it really happened.

This is a great movie, that is one of Denzel's best. The film shows how he spent most of his life in jail. He was in juvie when he was a kid, and he escaped. A few years later he was found and he had to finish his time. He trained himself to be a boxer, and vowed to never go to prison again. He immediately became one of the best boxers in the world, and right when it looked like he was going to be on top he was sentenced to life in prison. It is a crushing, but heart-warming story at the end, with a lot of intense acting. I won't tell you anything else, but if you know the story of Rubin Carter, or the lyrics to the Bob Dylan song you will know everything that will happen.