The Hurricane (1999 film)

The Hurricane
Directed by	Norman Jewison
Written by	Armyan Bernstein, Dan Gordon
Starring	Denzel Washington Vicellous Reon Shannon Deborah Unger Liev Schreiber John Hannah Dan Hedaya Debbi Morgan Clancy Brown David Paymer Harris Yulin Rod Steiger
Distributed by	Universal
Running time	145 min.

The Hurricane, a 1999 film starring Denzel Washington, purports to be the true story of boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he had spent almost 20 years in prison.

Cast and Team

Also starring: Vicellous Reon Shannon, Deborah Unger, Liev Schreiber, John Hannah, Dan Hedaya, Debbi Morgan, Clancy Brown, David Paymer, Harris Yulin, and Rod Steiger. The script was adapted by Armyan Bernstein and Dan Gordon from the books Lazarus and the Hurricane by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton and The 16th Round by Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter. The film was directed by Norman Jewison.

Storyline

The film narrates the life of middleweight boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, concentrating on the period between 1966 and 1985. It describes his fight against the conviction for triple murder and how he copes with nearly 20 years in prison. In a second strand an underpriviliged kid from the Bronx gets interested in Carter's destiny after reading his autobiography and convinces his canadian friends to engage in the case. The story culminates when Carter's team makes a desperate pledge at the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Controversy

The movie was criticized for misrepresenting some of the facts of Carter's life, for example:

• He was actually convicted of three muggings prior his professional boxing career.
• During his military service he was court-martialed four times and discharged as "unfit".
• The movie shows him returning as a decorated soldier, though Carter never distinguished himself in the army.
• In the night after the murder, his car was stopped two times, only at the second stop he was arrested.

Former Middleweight Champion Joey Giardello sued the film's producers for libel over the depiction of his fight with Carter. Eventually, the case was settled, with the producers paying the retired champion a hefty sum (reportedly $300,000).

Some film critics defend the movie despite its inaccuracy. Roger Ebert states: "Those who seek the truth about a man from the film of his life might as well seek it from his loving grandmother." and further "The Hurricane" is not a documentary but a parable, in which two lives are saved by the power of the written word."

Awards

Washington was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Various newspaper articles have suggested that the controversy over the film’s accuracy may have cost Washington the Oscar. However, he received a Golden Globe Award in 2000 and a 'Silberner Bär' (Silver Berlin Bear) from the Berlin International Film Festival. Director Norman Jewison was awarded the 'Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas' at the same festival. All in all, the film received six international awards.

Trivia

• Hurricane was also a song by Bob Dylan taken from his 1976 album Desire. It tells the story of the alleged injustice behind Rubin Carter's imprisonment.
• Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter is 5'8" and 155 pounds, Denzel Washington is about 4 inches taller and almost 40 pounds heavier. The actor would classify as a heavyweight and his film opponents had to be chosen accordingly.

Tagline: His greatest fight was for justice.

Reference

• "TheHurricane". Universal Movie Website. September 15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |Author= (help)
• The Hurricane at IMDb
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