The Hurricane (1999)

The American biographical sports drama film, The Hurricane (1999), was directed and produced by Norman Jewison. It tells the story of Rubin ‘The Hurricane’ Carter, a middleweight boxer wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in Paterson, New Jersey. After spending nearly two decades in prison, his sentence was finally overturned. The film focuses on Carter’s life from 1966 to 1985 as he fights against the unjust conviction. In parallel, we follow the journey of Lesra Martin, an underprivileged Afro-American youth from Brooklyn now living in Toronto. In the 1980s, Lesra becomes intrigued by Carter’s autobiography and delves into his life and struggles. He manages to persuade his Canadian foster family to support Carter’s case.

It all leads up to the successful pleas of Carter’s legal team to Judge H. Lee Sarokin of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. In 1966, Rubin ‘The Hurricane’ Carter was a highly ranked middleweight boxer, with many believing he would become the world’s greatest champion. However, after three individuals were fatally shot at a bar in Paterson, New Jersey – including the bartender and two customers – Carter and his friend John Artis were stopped and questioned by police while driving home from another club in Paterson. Despite authorities claiming they were never suspects, a man named Alfred Bello, who himself was suspected in the killings, stated that he saw Carter and Artis present during the time of the murders.