Review : The Hurricane

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

One of Denzel Washington's best performances in a film. By a clear shot.  Not for one moment in the film do you ever differ from his disguise. You genuinely believe he's that character and you don't fault his performance, his strength reassures the audience in the confidence of following the story about this person.

The film also teaches you a little bit about boxing matches, it has shooting in a bar, gang rivalry, mild strong language, including racial epithets, but all of which are adaptable to the raw grit of the drama, so I don't mind it so much if there's a reason for it. 

So going into this film the first thing you need to know is that it is a biopic of Rubin Carter 'The Hurricane' Secondly, It's a drama based on an ordeal of his life and Thirdly there's a sport back drop to it. 

The story goes that, Denzel Washington portrays Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who battled a brutal childhood to become a contender for the middleweight boxing championship, through pure determination. The story follows Carter's harrowing experience as he's wrongfully sentenced to three life terms for murders he did not commit, then uses the same discipline and sense of dignity that served him as a fighter to survive in prison. 

In addition to that, you've got a boy named Lasra Martin, living in Canada with people who took him in to provide him with an opportunity to get a better education, buys his first book for twenty-five cents. It is Carter's book which he wrote in prison, "The Sixteenth Round". Lasra writes his first letter. Carter answers. They develop a close relationship, and the story goes on to explore the bond they have up to the moment, 20 years later, when Carter is freed from prison.

Denzel Washington is amazing, he truly gives one of his best performances of his acting career. He demonstrates man's courage and heart. 

And the story has lots of depth to it "victims of racism saved by righteous white people" portrayals clearly, the real hero in this story is Carter himself. In his first days in prison, locked in "the hole" for refusing to wear a prison uniform, we see him forging the steel that will keep his essence free, and damned to consequences.

Then, in scenes that are almost unbearably moving, we as the viewers are treated to see that he can still allow himself to hope and to need others. He has protected himself from despair and bitterness in refusing to be a victim. In hindsight I think overall viewing it this would be a very poor film without Denzel Washington. 8/10

NEXT : The Departed.