THE HURRICANE	Director	Norman Jewison
	Screenwriter	Armyan Bernstein, Dan Gordon
	MPAA Rating	R
	Release Date	December 1999
	Principal Cast	Denzel Washington, Vicellous Reon Shannon, Liev Schreiber, Deborah Kara Unger, John Hannah, Dan Hedaya, and Rod Steiger

A

There may be no actor working in Hollywood today more indelible than Denzel Washington. Whether playing a young soldier in A SOLDIER'S STORY or GLORY, a lawyer in PHILADELPHIA, or even a personage as unique as Malcolm X, Washington is unable to subsume his own persona inside the character. This is not to say that Denzel isn't a talented actor, or that he is a showbiz screen hog. Rather, Washington is (like Sean Connery or Bette Davis) larger than life himself; his characters are fully-played, but something of Washington himself remains in each of them...the turn of his head, his steady delivery, his solemn gaze. When watching Washington at work, one senses a hybrid, something not quite Malcolm, and not quite Denzel. The actor and the character merge, and the interplay between them is what's left on the screen.

It's an intoxicating mix, one which Hollywood has built its empire on. A Denzel Movie is an event, in some measure...he is a Star, like movies had back in the Golden Age. Perhaps that's what gives his latest film, THE HURRICANE, such an odd sense of familiarity. A perfect use of classic Hollywood formula -- Wronged Men Overcome Adversity -- THE HURRICANE brings memories of Rocky, On The Waterfront and Raging Bull to mind, and not necessarily because of the boxing motif. It's a story of man against the unseen, vaguely evil American power structure. THE HURRICANE, unfortunately, does not measure up to those great films; it's weighed down too heavily by its emotionally overwrought political conscience. Still, what might be an excellent TV movie-of-the-week becomes a perfectly enjoyable studio feature, thanks to the blinding presence and towering performance of Washington.

THE HURRICANE is based on the life of Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, a once-renowned boxing contender who was wrongfully arrested for a triple homicide in Paterson, New Jersey. Eschewing traditional biography, the film gives short shrift to Ruben's childhood, adolescence and boxing career. Instead, it focuses on his many years in prison and his three trials (convicted twice, he is finally released in 1985). Carter's friendship with a young boy, Lesra Martin (Vicellous Reon Shannon), serves as the frame of the film. Lesra, with the help of his Canadian guardians Sam (Liev Schreiber), Lisa (Deborah Kara Unger), and Terry (John Hannah), find enough evidence of police wrongdoing to instigate a third federal trial under Judge Sarokin (Rod Steiger) and expose the corrupt racial bias of police sergeant De La Pesca (Dan Hedaya).

Washington, as one would expect, is phenomenal. He captures the contradictions and erratic moodswings of Carter with surprising dexterity. The supporting cast, including Debbi Morgan as Carter's rejected wife Mae Thelma, is superb. Norman Jewison, the film's director, has proven time and time again in films like MOONSTRUCK that he is the master of ensemble interaction; THE HURRICANE is a welcome addition to his canon.

Less successful is the screenplay by Bernstein and Gordon, which plays a bit fast and loose with the facts. Furthermore, the most compelling elements of Carter's character -- the fury that makes him a great boxer (but not a killer) versus the peace necessary to live among other human beings -- are lost to grandstanding moments of emotion that obscure the story's more complex moments. Never is Carter portrayed as anything but a martyred saint; it does a disservice to such a fascinating, intricate man. Still, the viewer's time isn't wasted; the tale is stirring, uplifting one, even if it sacrifices the better film it could have been.

THE HURRICANE is a fine effort by all parties. While it may not pack the emotional wallop that Hurricane Carter's life actually had, it's well worth the price of admission.