MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 697 this week

The Hurricane (1999)

R  |   |  Biography, Drama, Sport  |  14 January 2000 (USA)
7.6
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.6/10 from 71,651 users   Metascore: 74/100
Reviews: 263 user | 65 critic | 30 from Metacritic.com

The story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.

Director:

Writers:

(book), (book), 3 more credits »
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

Watch Now

From $2.99 on Amazon Video

ON DISC

Celebrate IMDb's 25th Anniversary with Photos We Love

IMDb turns 25 on October 17! To celebrate, we put together a gallery of some of our favorite movie, TV, and event photos from the last 25 years.

See the Photos We Love

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 47 titles
created 05 Sep 2011
 
a list of 42 titles
created 09 Oct 2012
 
a list of 26 titles
created 08 Oct 2013
 
a list of 35 titles
created 17 Jan 2014
 
list image
a list of 30 titles
created 03 Jun 2014
 

Related Items

Search for "The Hurricane" on Amazon.com

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Hurricane (1999)

The Hurricane (1999) on IMDb 7.6/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Hurricane.

User Polls

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 17 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

John Q (2002)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

John Quincy Archibald takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won't cover his son's heart transplant.

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Stars: Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, Gabriela Oltean
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

A quadriplegic ex-homicide detective and his female partner try to track down a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City.

Director: Phillip Noyce
Stars: Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah
Malcolm X (1992)
Biography | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam.

Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Antwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins.

Director: Denzel Washington
Stars: Denzel Washington, Derek Luke, Joy Bryant
Biography | Drama | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

The true story of a newly appointed African-American coach and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit.

Director: Boaz Yakin
Stars: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris
Fallen (1998)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.

Director: Gregory Hoblit
Stars: Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland
Training Day (2001)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

On his first day on the job as a Los Angeles narcotics officer, a rookie cop goes on a 24-hour training course with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn
He Got Game (1998)
Drama | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.

Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington, Milla Jovovich, Ray Allen
Out of Time I (2003)
Crime | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

A Florida police chief must solve a vicious double homicide before he himself falls under suspicion.

Director: Carl Franklin
Stars: Denzel Washington, Sanaa Lathan, Eva Mendes
Man on Fire (2004)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

In Mexico City, a former assassin swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

A drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school's first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship.

Director: Denzel Washington
Stars: Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

In the midst of the Gulf War, soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes.

Director: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
Sam
...
...
...
...
...
Myron Bedlock
...
Leon Friedman
...
Judge Sarokin
Badja Djola ...
Mobutu
...
Al Waxman ...
Warden
...
U.S. Court Prosecutor
Edit

Storyline

This film tells the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, an African-American man who rose above his troubled youth to become a top contender for the middle-weight boxing title. However, his dreams are shattered when he is accused of a triple murder, and is convicted to three natural-life terms. Despite becoming a cause celebre and his dogged efforts to prove his innocence through his autobiography, the years of fruitless efforts have left him discouraged. This changes when an African-American boy and his Canadian mentors read his book and are convinced of his innocence enough to work for his exoneration. However, what Hurricane and his friends learn is that this fight puts them against a racist establishment that profited from this travesty and have no intention of seeing it reversed. Written by Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Based on the inspirational true story of a champion. See more »

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

14 January 2000 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Lazarus and the Hurricane  »

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$337,000 (USA) (31 December 1999)

Gross:

£579,291 (UK) (14 April 2000)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the plot and character points fictionalized or ignored include:
  • Carter was actually convicted of three muggings and served four years in prison prior to his murder trial


  • Carter and Lisa Peters eventually married and later divorced


  • In reality, there was no Det. Della Pesca


  • Carter did not give a speech in the courtroom when his conviction was overturned and Lesra was not in attendance


  • Carter was actually released from prison for 4 years between his two trial convictions


  • Carter was dishonorably discharged from the military after four court-martials (after just 21 months' service)


  • There actually was no evidence found that proved Carter's innocence. The reason his conviction was overturned was because the prosecution mishandled much of the evidence it had that Carter did commit the murders. When all the evidence from the real case is looked at, it seems more than likely that Carter was guilty of the murders, but got off on a technicality during his second trial.


  • The Real Della Pesca, Vincent DeSimone, never met Carter before the Lafayette Grill incident. He also died in 1979, so he never met the Canadian couple, nor he attended the trial 1985.


See more »

Goofs

Although the scene takes place in New Jersey, just before the car crashes, it passes a Shoppers Drug Mart advertising sign: SDM is a chain of drug stores found only in Canada. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, this fine young fighter will be right here in Pittsburg on the boxing cog, this Monday night.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Return to the Arena: The Making of 'Rollerball' (2000) See more »

Soundtracks

Arabian Boogie
Written by Slim Gaillard, Paul Mills
Performed by Slim Gaillard
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

Denzel Deserved an Oscar
2 August 2011 | by (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews

I am not going to get into details regarding how true an account this is or not. I have read a lot that seems to indicate he was guilty and others that he was innocent, both accounts seeing to contradict themselves. I guess we may never really know, but as someone who believes that racism infects a lot of society including organisations like Sporting bodies and the police I can well believe that being black would not guarantee a fair trial. However I also find it hard to believe that Mr Carter was as peaceful a person as depicted in this film. But this is down to the way the film was written and directed and in no way detracts from a truly remarkable piece of acting by Mr Denzel Washington. It seems in every part he plays, you believe that he IS that character and this film was no exception. In the boxing scenes or the prison scenes and in every scene you believe that you are watching Rubin 'The Hurricane' Carter. A truly outstanding performance.


11 of 13 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Was he guilty? theendofzion
How many falsehoods in this film? kag2-1
Did The Police ever catch the real killer? mjh27
innocent or guilty? Sammmy02
Cater is guilty. lazur-2
Is this the best Denzel Washington movie? abhishes-572-40630
Discuss The Hurricane (1999) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?