The Hurricane (1999) - Terrific performances in Jewison's long racism drama

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An intense still of a knuckle-wielding star Denzel Washington captures the viewer's attention on this classy poster for Norman Jewison's The Hurricane

Rubin 'The Hurricane' Carter is a boxing champ, when his life in 1966 is put on pause, because he is convicted of a double homicide, which he did not commit.

 

The Hurricane is written by Armyan Bernstein (Windy City (1984)) and Dan Gordon (Rambo: Last Blood (2019)), based on Rubin Carter's autobiography The Sixteenth Round (1974) and Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton's Lazarus and the Hurricane (1991), and directed by great Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison (40 Pounds of Trouble (1962)).

A miscarriage of justice in a racist system is treated with refinement here and a framing story of a young black man, who gives an aged version of Carter back his optimism through the iron bars. This lifts what would otherwise have been something of a long ordeal to sit through.

Denzel Washington (Fallen (1998)) is outstanding; Rod Steiger (Duck, You Sucker! (1971)) is fitting, and excellent, as the judge who finally brings justice forth. The Hurricane is good but feels a bit like sitting through a long triple hour home study class. 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 50 mil. $

Box office: 73.9 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.47 times its cost)

[The Hurricane premiered 17 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 146 minutes. Washington was paid 10 mil. $ for his performance, which reportedly required that he did boxing training for a year prior to production. Shooting took place from November 1998 - February 1999 in New Jersey and Toronto, Ontario. The film opened #21 to a 384k $ first weekend in 11 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #2, behind new release Scream 3, and spent a total of 5 weekends in the top 5 (#3-#3-#3-#2-#5), grossing 50.6 mil. $ (68.5 % of the total gross). The film was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, lost to Kevin Spacey in American Beauty. It won 1/3 Golden Globe nominations, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Jewison returned with The 20th Century: Funny Is Money (1999, TV movie), Dinner with Friends (2001, TV movie) and theatrically with The Statement (2003). Washington returned in Remember the Titans (2000). The Hurricane is certified fresh at 82 % with a 6.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Hurricane? 

Open Range (2003) - Costner impresses with fabulous classic western

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+ Comeback of the Year: Kevin Costner + Best Western of the Year

 

A shoot-out is about to commence on this thrilling poster for Kevin Costner's Open Range

 

Four sympathetic open range Montana cattlemen become 2½, when they head in to buy supplies in a small, inhospitable town. The two men that are left unharmed now must claim their right to freedom against the town's corrupt reign.

 

Open Range is written by Craig Storper (The Truth About Alex (1986, TV movie)), adapting The Open Range Men (1990) by Lauran Paine (Skye (1986)), and directed by Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves (1990)), who also co-produced and co-stars in the film.

The first half is the best; after this comes a long prelude to the grand, final showdown, - which is very classical and really well-made, SPOILER followed by an overlong and overly sentimental round-off.

But Open Range is still a really good western. Annette Bening (The Siege (1998)) is good, and Costner and Robert Duvall (The Godfather (1972)) are not to be messed with here, class acts all three. The American open range is the film's fourth lead. Open Range is impressive and full of warmth.

 

Related posts:

Kevin Costner: Molly's Game (2017) - Chastain is luminous in Sorkin's great true-crime debut (co-star)

Man of Steel (2013) or, Superman v Zod: Sunset of Destruction (co-star)

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

Thirteen Days (2000) - Electrifying Cuban Missile Crisis thriller (actor/producer)  

Dances with Wolves (1990) - Costner's triumphant, simpatico western 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 22 mil. $

Box office: 68.2 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 3.1 times its cost)

[Open Range premiered 11 August (USA) and runs 139 minutes. Shooting took place from June - September 2002 in Alberta, Canada. More than a million $ were spent to build the town in the film, as well as 40k $ to lay a road to it. 225 head of cattle were used in the film, handled by professional cowboys. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release Freddy vs. Jason and holdover hit S.W.A.T., to a 14 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#3-#4), grossing 58.3 mil. $ (85.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 2.7 mil. $ (4 %) and the UK with 1.9 mil. $ (2.8 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Costner didn't direct again for nearly 20 years but is now shooting his next film, Civil War western Horizon. As an actor he returned in The Upside of Anger (2005); Duvall in Secondhand Lions (2003); and Bening in The Sopranos (2004, TV-series) and theatrically in Being Julia (2004). Open Range is certified fresh at 79 % with a 6.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Open Range? 

End of Days (1999) - Arnold faces Satan in Hyams' rigmarole

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The packed, apocalyptic poster for Peter Hyams' End of Days

QUICK REVIEW:

A New York ex-cop gets his work cut out from him, as Satan comes to the city in search of a bride.

With End of Days, it's easiest to sum up the film's good parts first: For a fan, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Maggie (2015)) exchanging lines such as these:
[Bad guy]: "I'm not afraid to die!"
[Arnold]: "Good! - 'Cus I'm not afraid to kill you!"
- That's good fun. The film also has Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night (1967)) adorning a supporting role, - and some fair action.
But the story is a semi-religious bungle of millennial paranoia and satanism that doesn't really levitate, and some of the elements of the film are simply too kitsch: SPOILER Like Schwarzenegger getting beaten up by an old lady, or Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment (2008-10)) playing Satan, pissing fuel. Also Robin Tunney (Supernova (2000)), the main actress in the film, shows pretty much just one facial expression throughout the film. - And the ending lasts over 40 minutes!
End of Days is written by Andrew W. Marlowe (Hollow Man (2000)) and directed by Peter Hyams (Timecop (1994)).

 

Related post:

 

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Watch a teaser for the film, taken from a VHS tape, here

Cost: Estimated 83 mil. $
Box office: 211.9 mil. $
= Minor hit
[End of Days premiered November 16 and runs 123 minutes. Sam Raimi, Guillermo Del Toro and Marcus Nispel were in talks for the director's seat for the film before it came down to Hyams, who had a good time directing it. Schwarzenegger hadn't been in a film for two years, since Batman & Robin (1997), reportedly due to a health issue, and was ready to mix it up. He received a hefty 25 mil. $ paycheck for it. The film opened #3 to a 20.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, behind Toy Story 2 (57.3 mil. $) and The World Is Not Enough (23.2 mil. $), and grossed 66.8 mil. $ domestically (31.5 % of the total gross). End of Days is rotten at 11 % with a 3.7 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of End of Days?