The Tom's Guide Verdict: 'The Hurricane'
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Verdict: "The Hurricane" is barely a sports biopic, and it's relatively pedestrian as a legal drama, which is its true genre. But Denzel Washington's performance as the wrongly imprisoned boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter is incredible without being over-the-top, and might be the most underrated of his storied career. Its Oscar nomination is well-deserved, and it takes a merely good movie up another level.
Where to watch: Steam "The Hurricane" for free on YouTube (with ads), or without ads as part of your Paramount+ subscription
We're now almost halfway through my 52-week Denzel Watchathon, and we're almost halfway through Denzel Washington's Oscar-nominated performances. This week's movie, "The Hurricane," marks the fourth of nine such performances in Denzel's resume, and after watching it, I can definitely see why he was nominated. His performance as the titular Rubin "Hurricane" Carter takes this movie to a whole other level.
That's not to say that without him, this movie would be bad. While there's not much sports in this sports biopic (we only get glimpses of boxing matches), as a legal thriller or crime drama it's perfectly fine. It's relatively pedestrian at times, though it has a few creative flourishes, such as switching from black-and-white film stock for Rubin's bouts, simulating what a broadcast would have looked like at the time, to color film for everything else. But 146 minutes later and its clear that Denzel is what makes this movie anything that borders on remarkable.
If you want to watch this movie before you read on, I have great news! Not only is "The Hurricane" streaming on Paramount+, one of the best streaming services out there, but you can also stream it for free (with ads) on YouTube.
'The Hurricane' is a fine movie elevated by a great performance
Read more Denzel Watchathon
Here are the other Denzel Washington movies I've covered so far in our Denzel Watchathon:
- "Carbon Copy" (1981)
- "A Soldier's Story" (1984)
- "Power" (1986)
- "Cry Freedom" (1987)
- "For Queen and Country" (1988)
- "The Mighty Quinn" (1989)
- "Glory" (1989)
- "Heart Condition" (1990)
- "Mo' Better Blues" (1990)
- "Mississippi Masala" (1991)
- "Ricochet" (1992)
- "Malcolm X" (1992)
- "Much Ado About Nothing" (1993)
- "The Pelican Brief" (1993)
- "Philadelphia" (1993)
- "Crimson Tide" (1995)
- "Virtuosity" (1995)
- "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995)
- "Courage Under Fire" (1996)
- "The Preacher's Wife" (1996)
- "Fallen" (1998)
- "He Got Game" (1998)
- "The Siege" (1998)
- "The Bone Collector" (1999)
As I mentioned, this movie centers around Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a professional boxer with a checkered past from Paterson, New Jersey. He's had a few brushes with greatness and a few brushes with the law, but his life comes to a grinding halt when he's convicted of three murder charges and sentenced to three life sentences.
Normally, that'd be the end of the story. But Rubin knows he's innocent, something that's not outright shown to the viewer right away, but is always heavily implied until the film makes it explicit. This movie isn't about whether or not Rubin should be free, but whether or not he can prove he's been wrongfully imprisoned.
As part of his strategy, he writes a book from prison, which eventually is published and makes its way into the hands of Lesra Martin (Vicellous Reon Shannon). He starts reading it vociferously, and then begins a correspondence with Rubin, convinced that the former boxer should be freed.
Their relationship is a cornerstone of what makes this movie special, and that's heavily reliant on Denzel, though Vicellous Reon Shannon does drop a remarkable, single tear on demand in one scene. The more I've watched Denzel's performances, the more I've come to realize that his range is a big reason he's so good. He admittedly tends to play a certain type of character more often than not: a Black man with some hard edges to him. But while Denzel can do over-the-top and aggressive with ease, he can also soften those edges with similar deftness, and it's a skill we see on display time and time again in "The Hurricane."
Take the first scene in the movie, for example. In that scene, Denzel is getting ready to fight anyone who dares to come in and try to search through his cell. It comes from an understandable place, but it's overly dramatic and aggressive behavior nonetheless. But by the end of the movie, which is admittedly set years later from that initial scene, he's an urbane, eloquent speaker making a passionate but even-toned plea for his own freedom.
A lesser actor would take a moment like that to ham it up a bit. To really chew some scenery. And sometimes, that's what's called for (see Gary Oldman in "Léon"), but sometimes less is more, and Denzel knows that this courtroom monologue is exactly one of those times. He's one of the best at cutting through to the audience while being calm and collected, and in "The Hurricane," that talent is utilized frequently.
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Again, it's important to point out that, for the most part, this movie is just fine, maybe even good. If you take out Denzel's performance, it's not anything on par with "Philadelphia" or even "A Soldier's Story," another legal drama from director Norman Jewison that features an impressive Denzel performance.
But, thankfully, we do get a Denzel performance in "The Hurricane," and despite earning an Oscar nomination for it, it might be his most underrated, if not his most unheralded. Given that it's currently streaming on YouTube for free (albeit with ads), there's no excuse not to watch it, and thanks to Denzel, watching it is genuinely worth your time.
Steam "The Hurricane" for free on YouTube (with ads) right now
