Film Review - The Hurricane

Review of ‘The Hurricane’


“Here comes the story of The Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin’ that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.” (4)
Bob Dylan

The Hurricane is a film that dramatically unravels sport’s role in the wider contexts of politics and the human spirit. Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, a promising boxer with a troubled past, falls victim to political and racial prejudice. After a night out, he finds himself framed for a triple homicide and facing life in jail. As the film progresses, the portrayal of Carter’s fights is surpassed by the greater fight for freedom. However, the primal fighting instincts of a boxer are central to his resistance and eventual conquering of all restraints. “Knocked down….never knocked out.” (1)

The role of boxing in the film is vital, despite only three boxing matches being shown, for relatively short periods of time. Similarly to prototypical boxing film Raging Bull; it attempts to portray the anger, rage and potential of its title character through the medium of boxing. This creates a more complex understanding of their personas. While Jake La Motta’s ability to absorb punishment underlines his self-inflicting nature, the machine-like, incessant barrage of blows Carter unleashes reveals his drive and single-mindedness. When boxing he would “take all the hatred and skill I could muster and send a man to his destruction.” (1) He uses the sport to remove frustration, and is efficient and methodical in doing so, so as to achieve maximum fulfilment from it.

This ability to absolutely immerse himself is apparent later in the film when Carter shuns everything except intellectual fulfilment. “I will live only in my mind and my spirit.” (1) This is to combat feelings of contempt for his situation, anger at his imprisonment and longing for the things he loves. By shutting himself off from anything that provokes emotion Carter deals with his unjust circumstances.

This takes total dedication, just as Denzel Washington showed in portraying Carter in the film. Director Norman Jewison believes “He literally became a good fighter” (2) through his year-long pre-production intensive training regime. This was compulsory in order to create realism and an essence of drama in the fight scenes. Washington went beyond this though. Rubin Carter himself commented: “He is as dedicated now as I was then.” (2) This is evident in the film, as it captures the frightening prospect of Carter in the ring. Jewison’s decision to show fights in black-and-white adds authenticity, while the sight of blood and sweat oozing from fighters’ bodies increases belief in the reality of combat occurring. Though these techniques can be seen in 1980’s Raging Bull, they still manage to affect viewers 19 years later in The Hurricane.

Carter’s performances in the ring were always going to provoke outrage from some groups. Carter had a World Middleweight Title fight just months after the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Being black and successful was a dangerous combination at the time, with racism rife.

The film shows this through Detective Della Pesca, an amalgamation of the lifelong resistance and racism Carter has been subjected to. Della Pesca is portrayed as a sneering bigot whose vendetta against Carter is personal. As Mike Tyson said, “Anybody can be a good fighter, but to be a great fighter you have to know hardship.” (3) This is certainly true of Carter, who recalls of his childhood “The kindest thing I can say is that I survived it.” (1) After protecting his friend, an 11-year-old Carter is shown to stab a man in self-defence. Della Pesca sees to it personally that he is severely punished, stating “It’s a nigger with a knife. Don’t care how old he is.” (1) By 29 Carter is a boxing star, which appals Della Pesca. Opportunity presents itself when Carter is suspected of committing three murders, and Della Pesca seizes it: “I’m gonna take your black ass down, Mr Fucking Champion of the World.” (1)

Della Pesca effectively represents prejudice and politics as key reasons for Carter’s imprisonment. With one nemesis, it seems more definite that Carter has been framed, making it easier for the viewer to be compassionate towards him. Also, it highlights the impact sporting success can have. When Carter speaks out over his disdain for “nigger hatin’ cops” (1), a brick is thrown through his family’s window. As a figurehead of black accomplishment, he becomes a target.

This continues inside the ring. Corruption in boxing is exposed when Carter is shown to dominate Joey Giardello in a Middleweight World Championship bout. After 35 minutes deliberation, the judges’ decision goes against Carter; as a pundit complains, they “must’ve been watching a different fight.” (1) In Bob Dylan’s song, which popularised Carter’s case and soundtracks the film, he reasons “He ain’t no Gentleman Jim.” (4) This refers to respected white fighter Jim Corbett. Unlike him, Carter is threatening to white society, so is criminalised.

Once in jail, Carter stands by his convictions, refusing to wear prison clothes. This results in him receiving 90 days solitary confinement. It is here the limitations of Carter’s self-characterisation as a “fighting machine” (1) are exposed. On the verge of madness, he becomes schizophrenic, with one personality ready to “kill somebody” (1), the other scared and tearful. Becoming suicidal, he asks “How about it, Rube?” (1)

Pivotally, after coming through this hour of darkness, Carter turns inwards, seeking to emancipate his mind from imprisonment despite his body’s incarceration. He finds hope through correspondence with Lesra, a 15-year-old boy who has read Carter’s autobiography, The Sixteenth Round. Inspired by the book, Lesra is determined to help Carter, as are many others. Footage of Mohammad Ali and other luminaries is shown to depict this. All of this support is represented by Lesra and his guardians, three Canadians, who are central to Carter’s eventual release from prison.

However, Carter’s realisation that he can be set free through the mind is vital. When participating in a life of boxing, Carter meets repeated obstacles that he cannot overcome – corruption, racism, cheating. His eventual replacement of this physicality with intellect leads to his rising “above the walls of this prison.” (1) The Hurricane displays the impact sport can have in society, and how it can empower the human spirit to survive. However, this ‘boxing film’ eventually shows some things can even transcend sport.

Greg Rose


References:

1 - The Hurricane - directed by Norman Jewison – 1999 - Touchstone

2 - The Making of ‘The Hurricane’ - executive producer Colleen A. Benn – 2000 - Universal Studios

3 - The Fight: Rules of the Ring – BBC - 2004

4 – ‘The Hurricane’ – written by Bob Dylan and Jacques Levy – Performed by Bob Dylan – 1976 - Columbia