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Many know Rubin "Hurricane" Carter best as the subject of Bob Dylan's thundering '70s ballad (which plays over the credits of The Hurricane). But the harrowing, true-life story of the black prizefighter falsely convicted of murder then vindicated after two decades in jail becomes gripping screen entertainment in the hands of director Norman Jewison (A Solider's Story). Denzel Washington, at his most riveting, drives the film with his impassioned, Oscar-nominated portrayal of the hot-tempered pugilist whose prison-penned autobiography becomes the instrument of his salvation. After reading the book, black teenager Lesra Martin (played by Vicellous Reon Shannon) convinces three Canadian friends (Liev Schreiber, Deborah Unger, and John Hannah) to help him prove Hurricane's innocence -- but they're blocked at every turn by corrupt police and a disinterested judiciary. The Hurricane (cowritten by Carter) telescopes time and eliminates numerous characters and events from the incredible story, culminating with a suspenseful courtroom scene that will have you on the edge of your chair. The result is a heartfelt expression of social conscience that also manages to be dynamic cinema. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

In 1966, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was a top-ranked middleweight boxer whom many fight fans expected to become world champion. When three people were shot to death in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey, Carter and his friend John Artis, driving home from another club in Paterson, were stopped and questioned by police. Although the police asserted that Carter and Artis "were never suspects," a man named Alfred Bello, himself a suspect in the killings, claimed that Carter and Artis were present at the time of the murders. On the basis of Bello's testimony, Carter and Artis were convicted of murder, and Carter was given three consecutive life sentences. Throughout the trial, Carter proclaimed his innocence, saying that his African-American race and work as a civil rights activist were the real reasons for his conviction. In 1974, Bello and Arthur Bradley, who also claimed that Carter was present at the scene of the crimes, recanted their testimony, but Carter and Artis were reconvicted. In the early 1980s, Brooklyn teenager Lesra Martin worked with a trio of Canadian activists to push the State of New Jersey to reinvestigate Carter's case; in 1985, a Federal District Court ruled that the prosecution in Carter's second trial committed "grave constitutional violations" and that his conviction was based on racism rather than facts. Carter was finally freed, and he summed up his story by saying, "Hate got me into this place, love got me out." The Hurricane is based on Carter's incredible true story and stars Denzel Washington as Carter, Vicellous Shannon as Lesra Martin, and John Hannah, Liev Schreiber and Deborah Unger as the Canadian activists. Veteran filmmaker Norman Jewison directed. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 025192071928
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, stereo
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 2:26:00
• Sales Rank: 10,369

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Denzel Washington Spotlight Collection

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