Customer Reviews

The Hurricane

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I actually give this movie two separate ratings. First, solely as a cinematic and artistic story I give the movie a 4, maybe even a 4.5 but as some of the other reviews have pointed out, there are some very large historical inaccuracies. Here is my review on each:

Movie:
As a movie "The Hurricane" is excellent. Denzel Washington does a great job as do the other actors in this film. It is definitely a tear jerker and helps portray racism which WAS very prevalent during the civil rights movement era. The movie is entertaining and enjoyable, the problem lies with the claim that it is a "true story." The best part of the movie is that it exposes horrible corruption,but when that corruption is possibly false, the movie loses credibility. If it had a different title and was described simply as a story, none of these issues would exist.

The Facts:
I am not a lawyer, or a judge, or anything that has to do with crime. I am an officer in the US Army and hopefully someday a business executive. Therefore, I can not give any "facts" regarding the case. Having said that, there is much controversy over what actually happened. It is definitely true that the image of Rubin Carter in real life differs from what is depicted in the movie as well as the image of his friend, John Artis. What the movie doesn't say is that Carter WAS in fact a criminal before he ever was accused of committing the triple murder, one of his crimes being the brutal beating of three people. Additionally, Carter was court marshaled 4 times and was kicked out of the Army after serving only approx 21 months. After released from prison, friend John Artis was arrested again and convicted for dealing drugs (cocaine.)
Artis and Carter were never declared innocent of the murders, they were released from prison due to an error in the judicial process. I do not know whether Carter and Artis are guilty or innocent and I encourage anyone who becomes interested to do their own research. Be careful what site you get your info from..."graphic witness" for example has been accused of being racist. Check the article about Carter on Wikipedia, it seems more reliable and is from a more trust worthy source.
Lastly, we need to remember that there in fact was much racism in this country at the time and to some degree there still is. Often people don't like to admit it. The truth is that racism may or may not have played a part in Carter's trial and he may be innocent, but he may also be guilty. Either way the movie definitely has some factual errors but hey, it's Hollywood, I mean, the true story of U571 is that the British stole the Enigma machine, unlike the film, the American's were no where to be found.
Take Hollywood with a grain of salt and enjoy the movie as it is a great piece of entertainment and features some excellent actors giving heart touching performances.

The most startling revelation about Norman Jewison's film `The Hurricane' is that this true-life account of middleweight champion Ruben `Hurricane' Carter turns out to be more about the glories of writing than of boxing. In fact, almost no time at all in the film is dedicated to chronicling the details of Carter's fighting career but rather to the attempts made by him and others on his behalf to prove his innocence in a murder case that resulted in his serving a nearly 20-year long prison sentence.

The sympathies of the filmmakers clearly lie with Carter, although a number of people have, since the release of the film, challenged some of the film's reliability and veracity. As one completely unacquainted with the facts of the case as they initially played themselves out, I am certainly in no position to adjudge the authenticity and accuracy of the film. As a piece of drama, however, `The Hurricane' generates an impressive amount of interest in the viewer and even attains emotional greatness in a few scenes. Because the film is trying to come at the story from so many different angles, it occasionally feels a bit like a patchwork - part boxing film, part prison drama, part investigative thriller, part inspirational feel-good drama - rather than a completely unified work of art. And, understandably, the film is more successful in some of those areas than in others.

The first half of the film is pretty standard issue stuff. We get, perhaps, a somewhat overly sketchy portrayal of the events in Carter's life before the fateful night in Paterson, NJ when he found himself the prime suspect at a murder scene. We see Carter as an 11-year old boy getting in trouble with the law for defending himself against a pedophile who turns out to be a well-respected and highly placed figure in the local community. This incident introduces him to the Paterson sergeant (Dan Hedaya) who plays the Javert to Carter's Jean Valjean, dedicating his life to seeing that Carter never lives his life outside prison, hounding him out of a misguided sense of self-righteous zeal - an obsession aggravated by the galling fact that Carter has since gone on to achieve international notoriety in the ring. As in many of the early sections of the film, the writers Armyan Bernstein and Dan Gordon fail to portray the incidents in Carter's life in a well-rounded, totally believable way. We find it hard to understand just why this one black child - among a vast number in Paterson one presumes - would fire up this sergeant's passion so intensely. We also are rushed along through Carter's early stints in prison, his time in the military, his rise to fame in the boxing world, sometimes with little more than voice-over excerpts from Carter's novel to inform us of how much he has learned and changed from his experiences. The script is so jumpy at times that we never feel we get to know much about the young Carter at all.

Luckily for us, this is not all there is to `The Hurricane.' The writers and director wisely enlarge the canvas of their story to include the teenager, Lesra Martin, whose contact it was with Carter, languishing almost forgotten in prison, that ultimately set the wheels of justice rolling that would lead to Carter's eventual release. And herein lies the real emotional core of the story. Lesra, a near-illiterate inner city boy from Brooklyn, living with some benevolent white liberals in Canada, purchases an old copy of the autobiographical best-selling novel Carter wrote in prison - the first book Lesra has ever read - and becomes so caught up in the similarities to his own life pouring off the pages that he decides to write to Carter in prison. A warm relationship develops between the aging convict and the budding youngster which eventually leads to Lesra's introducing Carter to his mentors who then take up the cause of getting Carter's case overturned. The highlight of the film is clearly the mesmerizing, emotionally riveting first encounter between Lesra and Carter; we sit spellbound as the two hurting individuals grope tentatively towards one another, each seeking that connection with (and recognition from) the other on the common ground of their parallel life experiences that they need so desperately. As the two discuss the liberating effect their writing has on both of them, the film becomes a glorious paean to the power and might of the written word. It is a truly unforgettable scene.

Unfortunately, the film only achieves that gripping emotional power a few times afterwards and in each occasion it is the connection between Lesra and Carter that brings it about. The three Canadian activists who take on the case for Carter's innocence remain underdeveloped as characters. We wonder how they can afford to leave their jobs in Canada and dedicate themselves exclusively to Carter's cause. And why are they always together? Do they have any other relationships in their lives or have they taken a vow of celibacy to go along with their social crusading? Their successful attempts to unravel the mystery of what really happened on that night in 1966 are interesting on the level of historicity but these sequences weaken the emotional drama at the film's core. 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. He literally holds the film together since there is virtually no scene in which he is not present. This tour-de-force role allows him to run the emotional gambit from sullen rage and explosive fury to warmhearted tenderness and stoic idealism (and how many 40-something actors could still convincingly portray a man in his early '20's)? Equally impressive, though, is young Vicellous Reon Shannon's work as the disadvantaged but ever idealistic Lesra. Together these two extraordinary actors take `The Hurricane' to impressive emotional heights. This is their film all the way and it undoubtedly does `The Hurricane' himself proud.

People here have commented that the movie would have been better if the villain and other supporting characters were better developed. The most likely reason for this flaw is that most of them are entirely made up. I won't wear myself out trying to convince anyone, but if you do some objective research, you'll find that the Hurricane blatantly distorts facts and ommits crucial information. The movie for example, conveniently ignores the fact that one of the victims survived for a month and described the shooter to a police sketch artist. Instead, it opts to leave her dead at the shooting. This movie was sold as being a true story, but would have been no less accurate if it were claimed to be based on the life of Bjorn Bjorg. Is a movie praiseworthy simply because it succeeds in manipulating our emotions? The filmmakers set out to make a "feel-good" movie and felt they had the artistic license to spice up an already fictitious story with mumbo jumbo, racist sheriffs, child molestors, racial intrigue and -still- claim it is based on a true story.

This is a great movie that brings you mixed feelings. It gives you anger, sorrow, strength, compassion, love and hope! This movie is based on the true life story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, played by Denzel Washington. He's chased by a racial driven detective since the age of 11. Being dealt the wrong hand in life, he spends half of his life (wrongfully accused) in jail. I didn't like the directing in the first half of the movie. The director, Norman Jewison, kept jumping from one time frame to another, sometimes without you knowing. During the second half of the movie, it started settling down. It focused more on Hurricane and his relationship with Lesra and his 3 Canadian tutors. Lesra was inspired by Hurricane's publicized book. Hurricane befriends Lesra and his 3 tutors. In fact, they devote their entire lives in trying to prove Hurricane's innocence. Something that activists, famous actors and musicians failed to do before them. This wasn't your typical jail-type of movie. It didn't have any rape, drugs or violence. I look forward to reading the out-of-print hard copy of Hurricane's book, "The 16th Round...".

In June 1966, two men entered a bar and grill in Paterson, New Jersey and opened fire. Two people were killed and one was to die later of injuries. A fourth victim survived.

Eventually arrested for the murders were Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and a friend. Carter was a one-time contender for middle-weight title whose career was on the decline. He had an extensive criminal record.

Carter was tried for murder in 1967 and found guilty. The New Jersey Supreme Court reversed his conviction, and he was put on trial again in 1973. The jury (which had two blacks) found him guilty within a matter of hours. The New Jersey Supreme Court upheld the conviction.

In 1988, the federal Court of Appeals affirmed a decision by the District Court that prosecutors had withheld material evidence. New Jersey decided not to try Carter again, believing that a good case couldn't be made after so many years.

Contrary to what Carter and his apologists now say, he was never found innocent or exonerated of the murders.

The prosecution of Carter was not the strongest murder case brought in New Jersey in 1967 or 1973, but there was ample evidence to support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt, as even the New Jersey Supreme Court (not known for its conservatism) held.

This brings me to "Hurricane." Even by Hollywood standards, the movie takes incredible license with the facts, not only with the trial but also Carter's life.

The production values are excellent and Denzel Washington's performance is outstanding. It does drag at times.

For more information on the case against Carter and this movie's misrepresentations, see Cal Deal's web site.

This film is WRONG WRONG WRONG... the glorification of this man should not be allowed to continue unabated. The historical "inacuracies" are not limited to just the "compression of a few characters" or the "cutting of a few corners". It instead attempts to convince an increasingly gullible film going public that a twice convicted triple murderer was an honourable and gentle, scholarly "buddha".
This is not a mere distortion of the truth to make the story more watchable but a complete misrepresentation of the truth in every single part of the film.

The Bob Dylan song in the film (which incidentally, rather tellingly, he has not performed since carters second conviction in 1976, shortly after he beat the hell out of the woman who led the campaign for his release) is as much of a work of utter fiction, but was inspired and written in a time when the civil rights movement in America was at its most fiery.

There is however NO excuse for making a travesty of a film like this. I advise anyone who "liked" or "enjoyed" this film as entertainment or was taken in by the ludicrous portrayal of this savage brutal murderer to visit www.graphicwitness.com/carter/ to see the REAMS of evidence that runs contrary to the twee hollywood nonsense in this film.

There have been PLENTY of civil rights heroes that could and should be glorified ahead of and above Rubin Carter.

People like to believe the warm fuzzy story of a wrongly convicted man getting justice in the end, but the facts are being ignored.

1. Rubin carter had lost 7 of his last 15 fights and was in no way "number 1 contender for the middlewight crown"
2. Rubin Carter, as a young lad, did not stab a paediophile to protect his friend, he bottled a guy to get his wristwatch and $50
3. Rubin Carter was discharged from the army after 4 courts martial, involving violent conduct.
4. Rubin Carter beat a woman almost to death after his first release. She had been the leader of the campaign for his release
5. Rubin Carter refused to take a lie detector test 4 times, even though he was promised he could walk free if he passed
6. Rubin carter had in previous interviews admitted to firing guns at people for fun, and to numerous incidences of unrepented and severe public violence

There are so many more facts about him..... not including the evidence aginst him with regard to the lafayette grill murders.

This film leaves me feeling physically sick and reeks of all that is wrong with Hollywoods greedy championing of any "cause celebre" that they can make a fast buck out of. DO NOT BUY THIS FILM.

The first thing you should know about The Hurricane is that it was based on two books, one of which (The Sixteenth Round) was written by Rubin Carter.

The second thing you should know is that Rubin Carter is not a man of exemplary honesty.

The third thing you should know is that the other book (Lazarus and the Hurricane) on which this movie was based was written by two of the Canadians who bought into Carter's hokum, as have so many after them.

I will not go into a point-by-point list of the patently false claims that Carter makes in his book, since other posters here have already done a good job of that. Instead, I'd like to offer some reactions to those here who have given this movie glowing reviews. These are divided into three groups.

The first is composed of those who did not know they were taken for a ride. If you belong in this group, I do not fault you. Hollywood has a way of perpetrating some very repugnant deceptions on the unsuspecting public. But let me ask you this: if you were presented with hard evidence that this movie is just one big lie put forward by the title "hero," would you still rate it highly?

If your answer is "yes," then you belong in the second group, those who gave this movie a thumbs-up on the basis of its being a powerfully moving drama, and never mind the glaring factual inaccuracies. To this group, I have this to say: if a filmmaker wants to present a true-life story, he has a responsibility to see to it that he has his facts right. It's called integrity, and it means placing truthfulness far above profitability. You say this is a dramatization and not a documentary? Well, even a dramatization should be done with some integrity. I can go along with some minor embellishments here and there, but when a movie is based on a series of disgustingly blatant lies and tries to pass itself off as a true story, that, in my book, is unforgivable. And so what if it was a rival studio that went out of its way to expose this movie's dishonesty? Vested interest does not render their arguments invalid.

Finally, to the third group, those who actually believe that Carter is in fact a martyr-scholar, I ask you to please open your eyes. There is absolutely no documentation to support Carter's claims that he defended his friend from a pedophile, that he was a civil rights activist, that he was robbed of a crucial ring victory, and so many other proclamations aimed at propping up his hero image. On the other hand, there are reams of documents that present virtually irrefutable evidence that these very proclamations are a product of one man's delusional fantasies. You say that Cal Deal, the man behind graphicwitness.com, is a racist? Please visit graphicwitness.com /carter/racism.html. Also, know this: Deal went into the Rubin Carter case actually believing that Carter was innocent. It took just one interview for Deal to see the many glaring inconsistencies in Carter's statements. He went on to uncover numerous documents and testimonies that exposed Carter as a liar.

Many accounts today have it that Carter is a changed man. I sincerely hope this is a real change, and not just a show. But whatever the case, the fact remains that he owes it to the public to admit that his book and this movie are just a lot of hogwash.

I'm not counting on that, though.

This is a powerful and compelling look at the life of Rubin Hurricane Carter (Denzel Washington) and his highly publicized fight for freedom from imprisonment. Based on a true story, the film is an in-depth character study including Carter's early life, the murders for which he was incarcerated, his coping with prison and his court battles.

Veteran director Norman Jewison creates a tight weave of factors affecting Carter's life; his childhood, the turbulent civil rights movement of the 1960's, and the people who came to his defense. It is an impressive panoply of the forces that swept over his life like a tidal wave. The period props and costumes were well done and accurate in the 1960's scenes. I loved the fact that all the fight fans in the arena were wearing suits and ties. Strange as it seems, that's the way it really was in the early 1960's. The camera work was very good and I particularly liked the use of black and white for the fight scenes. Though he plays fast and loose with the facts, combining and inventing characters for dramatic effect, the changes do not substantially detract from the authenticity of the story. Unfortunately, Jewison made a few choices that bogged the film down in the middle and detracted from it.

The film presents some good historical footage of the civil rights movement, but gets a little too preachy at times. The character development of Carter and Lesra was good, but the film would have benefited from a little less of Carter's internment angst and more time in character development of the Canadians. Jewison also presented Detective Della Pesca (Dan Hedaya) as an evil character of superhuman proportions, an inconceivable depiction.

This was a superb performance by Denzel Washington, perhaps his best to date. His portrayal of the internal struggle to use his seething anger to help him survive was sensational. He got himself into tremendous shape for the boxing scenes and handled himself well in the ring.

I was also impressed with Vicellous Reon Shannon who played Lesra. He exuded sincerity, toughness and genuine empathy, and had very good chemistry with Washington.

This strong drama grabs you like a boa and doesn't let up. I rated it an 8/10. It is worth seeing for Denzel Washington's performance alone.

This is an entertaining movie, albeit historically inaccurate at times. For example, there is a scene in the movie where Carter is "robbed" by a decision where he lost to Joey Giardello, the middleweight champion. This was a real cheap shot at Giardello, who won the fight on all three cards, in Philadelphia. Like most big punchers, Carter tired in the later rounds, with the champion hurting him with left hooks in the last three rounds.
As boxing historian Jack Newfield pointed out, the only person who believes Carter won that fight is Norman Jewison, the movie's producer. In today's world, the most prominent historians are filmmakers; it would be helpful if they tried to be more accurate.

I just watched this movie for the first time last nite, I dont know how I never heard of it, or the story of Hurricane Carter but I had not.

I really liked this Movie (until I did my homework). The Movie was very powerfull leaving you in disbelief, how could this happen? How could a innocent man be sentenced to Life for a crime he didnt commit?

The Movie's 2nd half left me teary eyed of the injustice done to Hurricane Carter and very touched by the young man that wrote, visited & belived in his innocence and who along with his Canadian Family worked so hard to free him.

Denzel Washington Does an exceptional peformance, what a great actor, But SHAME ON YOU Mr. Washington, This Movie is Based More on Lies than on the Truth, you were one of my favorite Actors, but your credibility has suffered, you had to of known of the Untruths of this Movie, and then to embrace Hurricane Carter and make a statement that this man is full of Love?

I gave this Movie 5 Stars because it was entertaining. The Movie left me with wanting more, immeadiately after watching the movie I did a search on Boxer Hurricane Carter. The First site was:

http://www.graphicwitness.com

My first impression was, Wow this must be some Racial Web Site against Hurricane Carter, but after spending hours reading all the many pages of well documented articles and interviews, my conclussion is their is more evidence that this man, Hurricane Carter is a Guilty as charged, than an innocent man wrongly accused as partrayed in the Movie.