The Hurricane (1999)

3 out of 4

Starring: Denzel Washington, Vicellous Reon Shannon, John Hannah, Liev Schreiber, Deborah Kara Unger, Dan Hedaya, Rod Steiger

Director: Norman Jewison

Time: 155 mins

The Hurricane is the true story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxing champion during the early 60s who was wrongly convicted of murder and sent to life imprisonment. The film details his life-long struggle against prejudice and injustice, from when he was a young child to a grown man, and of the group of Canadians who endeavoured to free him after some 20 years behind bars. Anchored by a superb performance from Denzel Washington, the movie teaches a lesson about hope, and never giving up, and that a strong friendship can bring about change.

The film begins with a virtuoso narrative energy, switching from a boxing match in the 60s, to a moment in the 70s when Carter, in prison, is completing his autobiography, then goes back to the night of the murder for which he is convicted, and then to the early 80s in Canada, where a young, disadvantaged boy, Lesra Martin (Shannon), discovers Carter's book in a second-hand sale and starts reading. Through Washington's voice-over, we learn of Carter's background, and of the racist policeman (Hedaya) who seems to have an ongoing vendetta against him. When Lesra finishes the book, he is inspired to do something about Carter's plight. With the encouragement of his three mentors, Lisa (Unger), Sam (Schreiber) and Terry (Hannah), he begins a communication with Carter. Eventually, all four move down to New Jersey, and vow not to leave until Carter has been released.

It is in the middle portion of the film, when Carter is first incarcerated for the murder, to his first few meetings with Lesra, where the momentum falters slightly. This is a shame, as the rest of the two-and-a-half-hour movie moves fairly quickly. When the Canadians relocate to New Jersey and devote themselves to freeing Carter, the film becomes a detective story, uncovering a trail of deceit, lies and suppressed evidence. A new hearing in a Federal court is arranged, but Carter and his lawyers face one last hurdle: will their new evidence be accepted by the presiding judge (Steiger in a delicious cameo) without having been presented to the state court?

The Hurricane is an uplifting tale about friendship and the pursuit of justice. Washington gives one of his best performances as the wronged Hurricane. Though having led a hard life, with frequent stints in prison, he is always determined to better himself rather than wallow in self-pity. There are a couple of instances when he almost loses hope, but the optimism of his Canadian friends and the kinship he shares with Lesra pull him through. It will be hard to see past him or Kevin Spacey (American Beauty) for the Best Actor Oscar.

The rest of the cast are fine, but, save for Shannon, bushy-eyed Hedaya and Steiger, don't really stand out. Shannon's scenes with Carter underline their friendship and admiration for each other, and he doesn't overplay the emotional moments. Hedaya, though only on-screen for about half an hour, is good as the prejudiced cop who is forever seeking to nail Carter and make his life miserable. Steiger, an Oscar-winner in a previous Norman Jewison film (In the Heat of the Night), stamps his authority and steals a scene or two as the judge in Carter's final hearing. The Canadian trio played by Unger, Schreiber (from the Scream series), and British actor Hannah (The Mummy, Sliding Doors) are friendly, cheery and optimistic (typical Canadians!), but their background is not really developed and it's hard, no matter how good the actors' portrayals are, to find the motivation behind their efforts to free Carter. Sure, Rubin Carter was wronged, but why would the Canadians move to New Jersey to help him? Are they rich? Are they campaigners against injustice? Are they bored? The movie doesn't make any of this clear.

Director Jewison is fond of racially charged movies (witness A Soldier's Story and In the Heat of the Night). While not as powerful as In the Heat of the Night, The Hurricane shows that racist elements will always be present in any society. He is also obviously a proud Canadian, for every opportunity he gets he drops in a Canadian reference or a joke about Canadian cliches. The Hurricane represents one of his better efforts over the last few years. Though its Oscar claims have been harmed recently with revelations that parts of the story have been fictionalised (as if other historical movies have been entirely, purely, 100% accurate), there is no doubting Washington's powerhouse performance, and, even if for this alone, The Hurricane is quite a formidable achievement.

(c) Joe Wong