The Hurricane (1999)

Seeing the film poster for many years, I had gone into this expecting a boxing film. Indeed it is about boxer Ruben ‘Hurricane’ Carter, portrayed by Denzel Washington, but it focuses on his life after he was wrongly convicted for murder and the nearly 20 years he spent in prison for this crime. Parallel to his story is the experiences of Lesra Martin (played by Vicellous Reon Shannon), an American teenager who was fostered in Toronto and became interested in Hurricane’s case after reading his autobiography. Dan Hedaya as the cop hounding Hurricane his entire life and determined to keep him in jail is a bit too much of a mustache-twirling bad guy. Though I find the relationship intriguing, the trio fostering Martin are otherwise indistinguishable and somewhat white savior-y. The strengths in the film lie solely on Washington’s portrayal. At this point in his career, Denzel was well versed at charismatically leading a film and he is incredibly powerful here. The emotions and experiences he displays run the gamut from cocky prize fighter to dignified dissident to resigned prisoner, all handled adeptly. 

Oscar Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role