The Hurricane

Starring Denzel Washington

The American justice system is never without flaws. Justice isn't always blind and sometimes people do fall through the cracks. The story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter exemplifies these missteps, yet manages to tell a tale of patience, friendship and survival. And with that, sporting a boxer's physique and his own personal charm, is none other than Denzel Washington, the title star.

Chronicling his life beginning with his career nearing a win of the World Middleweight Boxing title, Rubin Carter and a fellow fan get arrested for being suspected of going on a murderous rampage killing white people in a local bar, and soon, the racist paranoia exhibited by a particular detective sows seeds into the mind of the rest of the Justice system, and he is soon denounced as a true criminal, facing a life sentence in prison.

With nothing to do, and facing the difficulty of not being able to adapt, Carter decides to focus his energy on writing, as a way of keeping his mind sharp, and as the proper direction in taking his case to the public in the hope of a re-trial. Years later, a boy named Lesra Martin, from sheer chance, finds the book at a book sale and is enamored by the topic, from the standpoint of it being an interesting story, but also from the view that he has much in common with Carter in the hardships they had to endure. A friendship is solidified through the mail, and soon Lesra ends up meeting Carter, staying in touch, and even getting his mentors/caretakers involved in attempts to reopen the case.

What keeps this film going is the crackling energy that Denzel Washington brings to the screen. The actor gets the easy benefit of fleshing out his character due to his life story of jail taking up half of his life, rendering some powerful scenes for him, and he makes the most out of them, expressing eye-watering sentiment from the audience much before the final moments. The cast and script provide a competent presentation for the film, but don't hide its fairly standard execution. There really isn't anything groundbreaking and innovative in this film that hasn't been done elsewhere. Norman Jewison, who has directed some well-received films such as "In The Heat Of The Night," and "Fiddler On The Roof," as well as some forgettable efforts such as "Other People's Money" and "Only You," clearly treads water with a paint-by-numbers style for the film. Though many of the events in the film did indeed occur, one can't help but notice the large amount of generic scenes and expected/forced emotional release. For example, Jewison has done so many trial sequences through his films that they are now his staple. Much controversy has surrounded the film's poor transfer of the facts to the screen. In reality, there was no single paranoid police officer that was out to put Carter away; rather it was the justice system as a whole that acted this way toward him. Not much is detailed in the film of the fate of Carter's fan/friend who happened to receive the same sentence as Carter. These and other logistically real situations were eliminated and replaced with scenes that contained more dramatic impact and visual flair. The film is reduced to a feel good popcorn biopic, rather than the high art it could have technically been. Basic competency in general areas aside, Washington's acting is the one pole holding up the tent, and it's this very magnetic performance that ranks it among his best.