A Good Fight
Hurricane Blows At Only Half-Strength

When watching a true story, especially one regarding a man's fight for freedom, the suspense of the movie is often lost because the outcome is already known. There won't be a twist at the end, or a shocking revelation. There can be only history. In The Hurricane, the drama that unfolds is history, and just as suspenseful as a textbook.

I have enormous respect for Denzel Washington as an actor. I think he's one of the best American actors around, and I've enjoyed most of his work. In fact, I think he is -- hands down -- the only reason to see The Hurricane. No matter how little the story has to offer, Washington makes it real.

The Hurricane is the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer who was wrongly sentenced for murder in the 1960s, at the height of his career. Although director Norman Jewison does make use of flashbacks to tell Carter's back story, the film centers on Carter's imprisonment and fight for freedom. There has been a lot of debate on the historical accuracy of the film, but I won't discuss that.

I do find it odd that the story of Carter before incarceration interested me more than his imprisonment. Something changes in Jewison's narrative style as he begins to split the story between Carter and a young boy named Lesra (Vicellous Reon Shannon), whose life is changed after reading Carter's autobiography The Sixteenth Round. While Washington is inherently interesting as Carter, Lesra's story is dull.

The bulk of the film deals with the growing relationship between the former boxer and Lesra, and how the child inspired the man to fight for his freedom. Touching, perhaps, but after two and half hours I found myself wondering if it was worth it. The boxing isn't exactly Rocky, and the courtroom drama isn't exactly John Grisham.

The best thing going for The Hurricane is Washington. His performance is powerful and revealing. He can be arrogant and powerful, or sensitive and vulnerable. When he speaks, his dulcet tones are confident and soothing. Washington brings dignity to a film that wanders too much and tears its focus between the main plot and a distracting side story.

MY RATING: 7 out of 10.

RATED:
RUN TIME: 125 min.

A Good Fight Hurricane Blows At Only Half-Strength

A Good Fight
Hurricane Blows At Only Half-Strength