The Hurricane (1999)

The story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter (book), Sam Chaiton (book),

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter
Vicellous Reon Shannon	...	Lesra Martin
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Lisa Peters
Liev Schreiber	...	Sam Chaiton
John Hannah	...	Terry Swinton
Dan Hedaya	...	Det. Sgt. Della Pesca
Debbi Morgan	...	Mae Thelma Carter
Clancy Brown	...	Lt. Jimmy Williams
David Paymer	...	Myron Bedlock
Harris Yulin	...	Leon Friedman
Rod Steiger	...	Judge Sarokin
Badja Djola	...	Mobutu
Vincent Pastore	...	Alfred Bello
Al Waxman	...	Warden at Rahway Penitentiary
David Lansbury	...	U.S. Court Prosecutor

Storyline

This film tells the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, an African-American man who rose above his troubled youth to become a top contender for the middle-weight boxing title. However, his dreams are shattered when he is accused of a triple murder, and is convicted to three natural-life terms. Despite becoming a cause celebre and his dogged efforts to prove his innocence through his autobiography, the years of fruitless efforts have left him discouraged. This changes when an African-American boy and his Canadian mentors read his book and are convinced of his innocence enough to work for his exoneration. However, what Hurricane and his friends learn is that this fight puts them against a racist establishment that profited from this travesty and have no intention of seeing it reversed.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | african american | boxing | book | boxer | 

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Taglines:

Based on the inspirational true story of a champion.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Universal Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 January 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lazarus and the Hurricane

Filming Locations:

East Jersey State Prison, Rahway, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£94,558 (UK) (24 March 2000)

Gross:

£579,291 (UK) (14 April 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Azoff Entertainment, Beacon Communications, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

146 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Norman Jewison showed the film uncompleted at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival, without credits or proper color. He had been working on the movie the night before it was shown, and submitted it to the festival with the film still splinted together in hundreds of pieces. Before showing the movie he said to the eager audience, "I'm so nervous that the splints may fall apart."

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Goofs

When Rubin first goes to jail he is told that he can't keep his watch or wear his own clothes. Later, while he's in jail, he's obviously wearing his watch.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, this fine young fighter will be right here in Pittsburg on the boxing cog, this Monday night.

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Connections

Featured in The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (2000)

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Soundtracks

"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"
Written & Performed by Gil Scott-Heron

User Reviews

A powerfull story of the human spirit.

Every once and a while a film comes out that moves you on a deeply emotional and personal level. If you are fortunate, the cinematic experience stays with you beyond the drive home after the credits have roled. "The Hurricane" is one of these rare films that manages to inspire, and affect the viewer in a manner far too films fail to do. The cut I saw of Hurricane was missing the final credits and the colour had yet to be corrected, but the film was and is a masterpiece of storytelling by the acclaimed Norman Jewison. Like many of his films there is a deeply personal story to be told that has far reaching moral, political and social implications. "Hurricane" is the story of Rueben "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly imprissoned for a crime he didn't committ. The story unfolds from two perspectives, Rueben's and from the perspective a boy named Lazarus, who in Carter, finds a hero in need of salvation. Denzel Washington is memorizing in his role as Hurricane, while the rest of the cast have risen to the occasion. Jewison has made perhaps his best film in decades and maybe his best ever. His committment to telling "a good story" (quoting last year's inspiring Oscar speech) is obvious, as his is committment to social consciousness. He uses the camera as a witness to brutality, history and to one man's salvation and redemption as he explores the life and circumstances that brought Carter and Lazarus together. Like movies such as "Chariots of Fire", "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Amistad", this film manages to involve the viewer on a highly personal level. We see Carter as a human being in circumstances that test him beyond reason. The scene where he tells his wife to leave him because he can't survive prison knowing she is waiting for him on the outside is powerful and moving. This film is worthy of Oscars in every way. As it stands, this film is a credit to the real Hurricane Carter and the journey he took, and to Lazarus who becomes the catalyst in bringing Carter to salvation. With a running time of almost two and a half hours, I suspect it will be a bit shorter when released, but hopefully Jewison and co. will leave most of it as is. Don't let them make you change a thing Norman - you've got a real story here and a fabulous tribute to the power of the human spirit (from two perspectives no less!) Let the power of the story, the film and