the Hurricane is a Must See

"The Hurricane," directed by Norman Jewison and starring Denzel Washington, told the story of Ruben "The Hurricane" Carter, a black man that overcame much strife in his life to become a successful boxer and his wrongful incarceration for a murder that he did not commit. Carter's career was cut short when he is accused of, convicted of and sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for a triple homicide that he did not commit. While incarcerated, Carter wrote an autobiography detailing his innocence, which was picked up by a young, African-American boy living with three Canadian mentors. Together with Carter and his legal team, the Canadians and their charge investigate the case and present it to a federal judge with the hopes of convincing the court to release Carter from his wrongful incarceration.

The movie began with Carter's background growing up in New Jersey and being incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility, from which he escapes and joins the military. This portion of the movie was sketchy and not fully developed; it was obviously included to give us a bare bones account as to where Carter came from. The only important connection that we get from this initial, brief history is how Carter came to meet Dan Hedaya, the detective that was hell-bent on keeping Carter incarcerated for as long as we could. Detective Hedaya was the detective that was instrumental in ensuring that Carter was sent to juvenile detention and, later on, was instrumental in framing Carter for the triple homicide that he was wrongfully convicted of. This part of the movie was very jumpy and I did not feel like I had any connection with the young Ruben Carter at all, prior to the events that led to his incarceration. I found it very difficult to form a bond with Carter.

The movie also included the story of Lesra Martin, a black, nearly illiterate teenage boy who moved to Canada and who purchased Carter's autobiography. Lesra's contact with Carter was instrumental in greasing the wheels of justice and re-sparking international interest in Carter's case, even when Carter was dead-set on giving up the fight. Lesra and Carter become close, exchanging letters and phone calls. Lesra visited Carter in prison and Carter became a mentor to Lesra. Lesra, in exchange, convinced his Canadian guardians to begin an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the triple homicide, which eventually led to Carter's release and exoneration.

The movie itself was very powerful. It focused on compassion, courage and loyalty and moved me to tears, anger and frustration. In that regard, it was enjoyable. I was disappointed that Lesra's guardians were not developed more; I found myself wanting to know more about their lives, what their passions were, what their jobs were. The movie glossed over these characters and their histories. These people were instrumental in assisting Carter, Lesra and Carter's legal team in exonerating Carter and, as such, should have been given more time and attention.

Denzel Washington - what can I say about him that has not already been said? His performance in this film was masterful, breath-taking and astounding. Washington was able to pull off nearly every single emotion that one would expect a person in Carter's position to experience - sullen frustration, stoic strength, emotional anger - and he did it seemingly effortlessly. He didn't even break a sweat.
Two thumbs up - a must see and a must for any DVD collection.