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Rating: 4 out of 5
The U.S. Justice system is not the best or fairest system in the world. If you are of minority descent, the odds of you getting off are slim to none. The justice system is built for minorities and is the new place to keep people down. There have been cases where people have been in prison for decades for crimes they didn’t commit, only for them to get out later with a simple apology and over a million dollars for an apology. It seems that the person has to go through many layers of the system to be heard, denied, and then appealed all over again. The person who accuses will never see justice themselves as they lived a great life. It’s wrong, but what answers does anyone have to fix this problem.
I bring this up because I just watched the film The Hurricane. If you have never heard of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, you’re about to get a crash course now. Rubin Carter was an American Canadian middleweight boxer who was becoming a rising boxing star. One night, Carter and his co-accused, John Artis, were arrested for triple homicide, which was committed at the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey. The Hurricane tells the story of Carter, who was wrongfully committed, and his twenty-year journey in prison, and the people who helped him gain his freedom.
First and foremost, I want to praise the acting of Denzel Washington. If y’all don’t know, I LOVE Denzel Washington and think he is one of the greatest actors of all time. He should easily rank in the top 10 actors to grace the scene. This film is moved and propelled by his performance as Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. Washington was freakin intense when he showed the anger of Carter. He showed Carter’s hatred and vitriol. When Washington was doing his voiceovers, you could feel every emotion that Carter was going through. Washington was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor but lost to Kevin Spacey from American Beauty. I might have to rethink that one.
The film is split into two parallel plots. One plot begins in the 1980s with Lesra Martin (), an underprivileged African American youth from Brooklyn who is living in Toronto. Lesra has been living with a group, helping him get his grades up and saving him from the harrowing streets. While Lesra is at a book drive, one of his guardians convinces him to pick a book. Lesra picks up Carter’s autobiography and starts reading it. Lesra becomes enthralled with the book and soon decides to write to Carter himself. The two become close through a series of letters, and Carter gives advice.
With his Canadian foster family’s support, they let Lesra meet Carter in person. Lesra is in awe when he meets Carter, but the conversation is subtle but tense as Carter holds peace and hatred within his heart from being wrongfully convicted. Lesra convinces his foster family to become committed to Carter’s case.
The second parallel plot begins in 1966 when Rubin “The Hurricane” Carter tells his story as a young boy and is arrested for slashing a pedophile’s face. Dude looking at little black boys and wanted to take them. Carter then goes on to talk about the racist cop who was after him since that point. Carter leaves and goes into the army, only to return and be arrested. When Carter gets out of prison again, he puts all his rage into boxing. Carter rises through the ranks until one fateful night, he is arrested for triple homicide.
Through Carter’s eyes, you see just a sliver of how bad the United States was for blacks. Shit was evil back then. It’s a little better now, but shit was evil back then. Now, I think two blacks did commit the crime and got away with it, but through the commitment of one racist cop who wanted Carter behind bars by any means necessary. Dude convinces people who had witnessed the crime to change their story to lock up Carter. Even when Carter was released from an appeal, the people still claimed Carter did it. It was sad to see because you knew he was innocent. Even major people like Bob Dylan protested against the ruling and wrote a famous song.
The film ends with the trial on the federal court level. Even though this was illegal, the judge decided to listen to the case. If it was still in New Jersey, Carter would’ve probably died in prison. The federal judge ruled that the second trial committed grave constitutional violations” and that his conviction was based on racism rather than facts. Big up to the judge to see through the bullshit and say it was against race. The judge released Carter from prison. The film ends with how Carter used his new freedom to raise awareness against people wrongfully committed.
The Hurricane has a strong story, but the acting is what carries this film. Big up to Denzel Washington for showcasing his acting range to the fullest. This is a great start to learning about the Civil Rights Movement and the atrocities that blacks went through. When you get a chance, listen to Bob Dylan’s hurricane song.
BONUS CLIP!!!
