History Film / TheHurricane

** To build up the idea of Carter being victimized by racism in the 1960s, he is shown defeating white boxer Joey Giardello, who is then declared to have won anyway. Everyone who attended the fight the one in the movie is based on, including Carter himself, agreed that he lost and that Giardello was the better boxer in the ring that day (in spite of the fact that Giardello was less than diligent in his training and mostly lived on pasta and beer). Giardello sued the film producers over this portrayal, settling for a hefty but undisclosed sum.

** Judge H. Lee Sarokin, who [[spoiler: resides the Federal District Court hearing and overturned Carter's triple murder conviction on the basis of "racism rather than reason" and "concealment rather than disclosure"]].
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: In Carter's own case where the new evidence is found to get him out of prison, his lawyer Myron Beldock urges that they present it in New Jersey state Supreme Court first since the evidence will be destroyed if they lose the case, but Carter vehemently disagrees as he was tried and convicted ''twice'' and was denied one appeal after another during ''19 years'' of being locked up, they should go to Federal Court instead and the evidence can be seen by uncorrupt eyes.

** Judge H. Lee Sarokin, who [[spoiler: resides the Federal District Court hearing and overturned Carter's triple murder conviction]].

* WhiteMansBurden: Three white Canadians adopting and home-school Lesra, a black teenager from Brooklyn. Goes even further when they all decide to look for evidence that proves Carter's innocence.

* AmoralAttorney: Averted, even for the prosecuting attorneys that are just doing their job by keeping Carter in prison.

** The film portrays boxer Rubin Carter as a totally innocent man who is wrongfully convicted of two murders thanks largely to a racist cop who's had it out for him since his boyhood. No evidence exists that the lead detective held any grudge against Carter, and he was described as a jovial man, very different from Hedaya's scowling, tight-lipped portrayal.
** The film whitewashes Carter's criminal history, depicting Carter as defending himself in boyhood against a pedophile, then being arrested and sent to a juvenile facility by this same racist detective. In reality, Carter was arrested for assaulting and robbing a man, a crime that is not disputed. This was only one of many offenses he committed.

* DirtyCop: Della Pesca, based on Vincent DeSimone, who was the lead detective of Passaic County, New Jersey who coached witnesses in the homicide case that led to Carter's conviction.

A 1999 American biographical sports film directed by Creator/NormanJewison and starring Creator/DenzelWashington as former boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, who was wrongly convicted of a triple murder in New Jersey, and his fight to prove his innocence. It is based on accounts from Carter's 1974 autobiography and Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton 1991 book ''Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter''.

A 1999 American biographical sports film directed by Creator/NormanJewison and starring Creator/DenzelWashington as former boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, who was wrongly convicted of a triple murder in New Jersey, and his fight to prove his innocence. It is based on accounts from Carter's autobiography and Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton's book ''Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter''.

The film also stars Creator/JohnHannah, Creator/DeborahKaraUnger, Creator/LievSchreiber, Creator/VicellousReonShannon, Creator/DavidPaymer, Creator/DanHedaya, and Creator/RodSteiger.

The film also stars Creator/JohnHannah, Creator/DeborahKaraUnger, Creator/LievSchreiber, Creator/VicellousReonShannon, Creator/DavidPaymer, and Creator/DanHedaya.

** Lesra Martin, a Canadian lawyer who helps Carter get out of prison.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/ClancyBrown returns to his role as a prison guard... except this one is polite and respectful towards the prisoners in his care.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film portrays boxer Rubin Carter as a totally innocent man who is wrongfully convicted of two murders thanks largely to a racist cop who's had it out for him since his boyhood. No evidence exists that the lead detective held any grudge against Carter, and he was described as a jovial man, very different from Hedaya's scowling, tight-lipped portrayal. The film whitewashes Carter's criminal history, depicting Carter as defending himself in boyhood against a pedophile, then being arrested and sent to a juvenile facility by this same racist detective. In reality, Carter was arrested for assaulting and robbing a man, a crime that is not disputed. This was only one of many offenses he committed. Moreover, while Carter's actual guilt or innocence continues to be debated, the film portrays him as having been exonerated by the efforts of three Canadian activists and a young African-American who wrote to him in prison. They did not find evidence showing he was innocent, however, but only some that had not been presented by the prosecution. He was ordered released or retried-New Jersey appealed this ruling, lost, and chose to not retry him again (he had already been retried before in 1976, with another guilty verdict resulting). Carter was thus never exonerated, or even acquitted.
** On a lesser note, to build up the idea of Carter being victimized by racism in the 1960s, he is shown defeating white boxer Joey Giardello, who is then declared to have won anyway. Everyone who attended the fight the one in the movie is based on, including Carter himself, agreed that he lost and that Giardello was the better boxer in the ring that day (in spite of the fact that Giardello was less than diligent in his training and mostly lived on pasta and beer). Giardello sued the film producers over this portrayal, settling for a hefty but undisclosed sum.

** On a lesser note, to build up the idea of Carter being victimized by racism in the 1960s, he is shown defeating white boxer Joey Giardello, who is then declared to have won anyway. Carter himself agreed that he lost, and Giardello sued the film producers over this portrayal, settling for a hefty sum.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film portrays boxer Rubin Carter as a totally innocent man who is wrongfully convicted of two murders thanks largely to a racist cop who's had it out for him since his boyhood. No evidence exists that the lead detective held any grudge against Carter, and he was described as a jovial man, very different from Hedaya's scowling, tight-lipped portrayal. The film whitewashes Carter's criminal history, depicting Carter as defending himself in boyhood against a pedophile, then being arrested and sent to a juvenile facility by this same racist detective. In reality, Carter was arrested for assaulting and robbing a man, a crime that is not disputed. This was only one of many offenses he committed. Moreover, while Carter's actual guilt or innocence continues to be debated, the film portrays him as having been exonerated by the efforts of three Canadian activists and a young African-American who wrote to him in prison. They did not find evidence showing he was innocent, however, but only some that had not been presented by the prosecution. He was ordered released or retried-New Jersey appealed this ruling, lost, and chose to not retry him again (he had already been retried before in 1976, with another guilty verdict resulting). Carter was thus never exonerated, or even acquitted. On a lesser note, to build up the idea of Carter being victimized by racism in the 1960s, he is shown defeating white boxer Joey Giardello, who is then declared to have won anyway. Carter himself agreed that he lost, and Giardello sued the film producers over this portrayal, settling for a hefty sum.

** Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, a former boxer who is put in prison for killing three people, a crime he didn't or did commit.

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_hurricane_1999.jpeg]]

Not to be confused with the 1937 Creator/JohnFord film.

It was released on December 29, 1999.

A 1999 American biographical sports film directed by Creator/NormanJewison starring Creator/DenzelWashington as former boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter who was wrongly convicted of a triple murder in New Jersey and his fight to prove his innocence. It is based on accounts from Carter's autobiography and Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton's book ''Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Freeing of Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter".

!Tropes for the film:

* LuxuryPrisonSuite: Used mildly as Rubin Carter began with the privilege of wearing prison hospital pajamas rather than standard uniforms and clung to an ironclad determination not to adhere in any way to the normal prison lifestyle. Over the sixteen or so years of his confinement, prison guards allowed him various luxuries in his cell out of a combination of pity, belief in his innocence, and appreciation for not making as much of a nuisance of himself as he could have. Eventually, his cell was filled with various posters of civil rights leaders, pieces of African art, a typewriter on which he wrote his memoirs, a small collection of books, and a miniature stove.

* LuxuryPrisonSuite: Used mildly as Rubin Carter began with the privilege of wearing prison hospital pajamas rather than standard uniforms and clung to an ironclad determination not to adhere to any way to the normal prison lifestyle. Over the sixteen or so years of his confinement, prison guards allowed him various luxuries in his cell out of a combination of pity, belief in his innocence, and appreciation for making as much of a nuisance of himself as he could have. Eventually, his cell was filled with various posters of civil rights leaders, pieces of African art, a typewriter on which he writes his memoirs, a small collection of books, and a miniature stove.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film portrays boxer Rubin Carter as a totally innocent man who is wrongfully convicted of two murders thanks largely to a racist cop who's had it out for him since his boyhood. No evidence exists that the lead detective held any grudge against Carter, and he was described as a jovial man, very different from Hedaya's scowling, tight-lipped portrayal. The film whitewashes Carter's criminal history, depicting Carter as defending himself in boyhood against a pedophile, then being arrested and sent to a juvenile facility by this same racist detective. In reality, Carter was arrested for assaulting and robbing a man, a crime that is not disputed. This was only one of many offenses he committed. Moreover, while Carter's actual guilt or innocence continues to be debated, the film portrays him as having been exonerated by the efforts of three Canadian activists and a young African-American who wrote to him in prison. They did not find evidence showing he was innocent, however, but only some that had not been presented by the prosecution. He was ordered released or retried-New Jersey appealed this ruling, lost, and chose to not retry him again (he had already been retried before in 1976, with another guilty verdict resulting). Carter was thus never exonerated, or even acquitted. On a lesser note, to build up the idea of Carter being victimized by racism in the 19060s, he is shown defeating white boxer Joey Giardello, who is then declared to have won anyway. Carter himself agreed that he lost, and Giardello sued the film producers over this portrayal, settling for a hefty sum.

** Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, a former boxer who is put in prison for killing three people, a crime he didn't commit.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film portrays boxer Rubin Carter as a totally innocent man who is wrongfully convicted of two murders thanks largely to a racist cop who's had it out for him since his boyhood. No evidence exists that the lead detective