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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
In his direction of The Hurricane, veteran filmmaker Norman Jewison understands that slavish loyalty to factual detail is no guarantee of compelling screen biography. In telling the story of boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter--who was wrongly convicted of murder in 1967 and spent nearly two decades in jail--Jewison and his screenwriters compress time, combine characters, and rearrange events with a nonchalance that would be galling if they didn't remain honest to the core truth of Carter's ordeal. Because of that emotional integrity--and because Denzel Washington brings total conviction to his title role--The Hurricane rises above the confines of biographical fidelity to embrace higher values of courage, compassion, and ultimate justice.
Jewison is woefully heavy-handed in his treatment of the fictionalized, absurdly villainous detective (Dan Hedaya) who zealously plots to keep Carter in jail, and anyone familiar with Carter's story may object to the film's simplified account. But what matters here is the shining star of hope that is Lesra (Vicellous Reon Shannon), the Brooklyn teenager who rejuvenates Carter's legal battle in the early 1980s. This surrogate father-son relationship is what revives Carter's hope for family and future, and makes The Hurricane so engrossing and emotionally effective. Lesra's real-life Canadian mentors are compressed from nine characters to three, but their efforts are superbly dramatized, and Jewison hits the small but important grace notes that make a good film even better. By its final scenes, The Hurricane conveys the rich, rewarding satisfaction of surviving a difficult but valuable journey of mind, body, and soul. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.com:
In his direction of The Hurricane, veteran filmmaker Norman Jewison understands that slavish loyalty to factual detail is no guarantee of compelling screen biography. In telling the story of boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter--who was wrongly convicted of murder in 1967 and spent nearly two decades in jail--Jewison and his screenwriters compress time, combine characters, and rearrange events with a nonchalance that would be galling if they didn't remain honest to the core truth of Carter's ordeal. Because of that emotional integrity--and because Denzel Washington brings total conviction to his title role--The Hurricane rises above the confines of biographical fidelity to embrace higher values of courage, compassion, and ultimate justice.
Jewison is woefully heavy-handed in his treatment of the fictionalized, absurdly villainous detective (Dan Hedaya) who zealously plots to keep Carter in jail, and anyone familiar with Carter's story may object to the film's simplified account. But what matters here is the shining star of hope that is Lesra (Vicellous Reon Shannon), the Brooklyn teenager who rejuvenates Carter's legal battle in the early 1980s. This surrogate father-son relationship is what revives Carter's hope for family and future, and makes The Hurricane so engrossing and emotionally effective. Lesra's real-life Canadian mentors are compressed from nine characters to three, but their efforts are superbly dramatized, and Jewison hits the small but important grace notes that make a good film even better. By its final scenes, The Hurricane conveys the rich, rewarding satisfaction of surviving a difficult but valuable journey of mind, body, and soul. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - 3 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:
If historical inaccuracies and biases are ignored and The Hurricane is viewed simply as a movie, it succeeds quite well: though a tad overlong, it's a solid bit of prison and human drama.
Rating:  - GREAT not good but GREAT amazing high talent actors make GREAT FILMS....this is of NO EXCEPTION.DENZEL is INCREDIBLE !!!!!!!!!!!
hola to all.i was a teenager when i think he was in prison etc met lesra
the 80's etc. but i know i have never heard of this until atty.told me about this amazing film. i am so happy she told me,she is a FORMER Judge. as,being a advocate on civil rights,equal protection for ALL innocent on parental-child rights in new jersey tri-state area nyc etc.i know how this man must have felt.
the fact a prosecutor can go to court proceed as if he has REAL evidence
all conjured up,fabricated ... Read More
Rating: - Good for what it is: fiction.
Please don't get me wrong with this review. I am not trying to troll Denzel or this movie. But face the facts: Carter is guilty. That's all there is to it. This movie greatly distorts the truth and greatly embellishes a lot of his, how do you say, "better qualities". That being said, however, the film is still enjoyable to watch. If you ignore the complete inaccuracies in the film and treat it as a fictional film instead of a movie mostly based on the truth then I find that you might enjoy it more. ... Read More
Rating: - "Based on a true story" should tell you everything you need to know about this
I've read most of the reviews here and either they are unwaveringly convinced of former boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's guilt, or staunchly believe in his innocence to the point of ad nauseam. Others didn't care for the movie for whatever reason, while you had an audience who loved this story, didn't know it was a fictionalized account of the events and simply didn't care because they feel Denzel Washington can do no wrong. However, the review I found to be most on point about this movie is one that was ... Read More
Rating: - You NEED This
You NEED this in your collection whether you are a Denzel Washington fan or a fan of Norman Jewison films.
Well done, virtually unknown film.
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