The Hurricane: Film Analysis

Film Analysis Assignment: The Hurricane

1.      Injustice destroys lives. The Hurricane tells the story of a man’s unfair conviction and sentence, after a troubled youth. His life is changed forever when an African-American boy (Lesra) and his Canadian foster family dedicate themselves to his exculpation. This motif is significant because it consistently recurrent for the duration of the film. It is also very closely related to the theme of this film: The unfair accusation of “black” people(s) due to a racist attitude and the response to this is a common theme running through both the film and the novel (question 4).

2.     Boxing is a symbol of hatred. Rubin Carter states in jail that he had decided to “turn his body into a hate machine.” His anger at “white” people causes him to become a boxer to vent his anger. The jail is symbolic of man’s discrimination against “blacks”. This movie focuses on unequal treatment across the “colour line.” Rubin “Hurricane” Carter is unjustly put in jail multiple times throughout his life, based on his skin colour.

3.      The attorney and Canadian family in The Hurricane can be likened to Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. Both are “white” people(s) who commit themselves to an unjust “black” case, to expose the truth. The arrest, interrogation and court proceedings were moving and emotional in both accounts, successfully portraying the different attitudes of “white” men to “black” men. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch’s cool demeanor and focused attitude allow him to concentrate on Tom Robinson and his case. At the same time, Bob Ewell’s cold demeanor and cruel attitude result in his accusation of Tom. In The Hurricane, Lesra and his family’s passion and love for Rubin Carter give them motivation to search for evidence. The attorney’s cautious and heeding, yet respectful attitude towards Rubin helps him prioritize and win his client’s case. Simultaneously, the opposing council’s prejudice against “black” peoples and their hatred of Rubin give them incentive to “bury him.”

4.     The unfair accusation of “black” people(s) due to a racist attitude and the response to this is a common theme running through both the film and the novel.  In To Kill a Mockingbird Tom Robinson is wrongly accused of raping Mayella Ewell because of his skin colour. Atticus Finch, a white man, devotes himself to the exoneration of Tom Robinson. In The Hurricane Rubin “Hurricane” Carter is also unjustly accused of a triple murder. A Canadian family and their adopted African-American son pledge themselves to the case of Carter, not resting until he is set free. Both accounts indicate the consequences of warped justice system due to racism. In To Kill a Mockingbird Tom Robinson tragically dies at the end, trying to escape from prison after the jury declined to exculpate him. In The Hurricane Rubin Carter spent more than half his life in a jail.