The Hurricane

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The Hurricane

R

Released Jan 14, 2000

2h 26m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

115 Reviews

87%

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50,000+ Ratings

Denzel Washington is Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a man whose dreams of winning the middleweight boxing title were destroyed when he was arrested along with another man for the murders of 3 people in a New Jersey bar. Wrongfully accused, Carter and John Artis were sentenced to 3 life terms in prison.

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Critics Consensus

Thanks in large part to one of Denzel Washington's most powerful on-screen performances, The Hurricane is a moving, inspirational sports drama, even if it takes few risks in telling its story.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Denzel dazzles in biopic of imprisoned boxer.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 24, 2010

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Time Out

Facile and unpersuasive.

Jun 24, 2006

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Peter Rainer

New York Magazine/Vulture

The movie's dogged humorlessness, and its sixties-style cant, don't do justice to all the political crosscurrents in this story.

Aug 7, 2004

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

The Hurricane features stellar work from Denzel Washington but it also speaks to the overwhelming amount of injustice taking place in the American criminal justice system.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 29, 2024

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... Jewison’s most passionate work in years; his indignation powers the film.

Mar 8, 2024

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Chuck Klosterman

Akron Beacon Journal

There are a handful of scenes that Washington carries all by himself, but the rest of The Hurricane is an ill-constructed failure. It's slow and poorly written, and -- somehow -- it's a non-fiction story that often feels unrealistic

Rated: 2/4

Oct 27, 2023

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Audience Member

Dude, I almost cried when he got released. Great movie, really gets you to feel what the movie wants you to.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

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Dan L

Denzel at his finest, an actor that consistently exhibits his acting range.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/14/24

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Viola O

I don't know how they didn't give him the Oscar, in the isolation scene I had the chills not to mention when he says to his wife to divorce from him

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/15/24

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K B

Simply beautiful, warming, frustrating, and immaculate.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/24

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Audience Member

Fighting for the right to live The performance by Denzel Washington in this Spike Lee movie was very effective, despite expectations. The horrors of the reality that this is based on a true story are troubling, but the story and plot deliver us through the telling of a story about the problems of society and the need to remain strong through the roughest of them. I saw this movie while I was expelled from my high school for a fistfight which happened in the hallway. It taught me a lot about life at the time, and Denzel's performance is great. The soundtrack is amazing as well, and a lot of people pooled together to tell this true story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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dave s

By no stretch of the imagination is Norman Jewison's The Hurricane a perfect movie. For one, the secondary characters all seem a bit shallow. What made Detective Della Pesca (Dan Hedaya) the hateful and vindictive man that he was? Who exactly are these three Canadians who came to the rescue of Ruben Carter and what the hell is their relationship to each other? Another problem is an abundance of stilted dialogue that manages to suck the energy out of a lot of the scenes. However, the story itself is fascinating and Denzel Washington gives a powerful performance as the wrongly convicted ‘Hurricane' Carter. Washington's performance alone makes The Hurricane worth watching.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Norman Jewison

Director

Denzel Washington

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

Vicellous Reon Shannon

Lesra Martin

Deborah Kara Unger

Lisa Peters

Liev Schreiber

Sam Chaiton

John Hannah

Terry Swinton

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Synopsis

Denzel Washington is Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a man whose dreams of winning the middleweight boxing title were destroyed when he was arrested along with another man for the murders of 3 people in a New Jersey bar. Wrongfully accused, Carter and John Artis were sentenced to 3 life terms in prison.

Director: Norman Jewison
Producer: Armyan Bernstein, Norman Jewison, John Ketcham
Screenwriter: Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Sam Chaiton, Terry Swinton, Armyan Bernstein, Dan Gordon
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Beacon Communications, Azoff Entertainment
Rating: R (Violence|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 14, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.7M
Runtime: 2h 26m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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