The Hurricane

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (Denzel Washington) was a championship boxing contender in 1966, when he was arrested for the shooting deaths of a group of people in a New Jersey bar. The arrest lands Carter in prison, where he retells the story of his life and writes his life story, which ultimately helps to free him. Carter has a rough upbringing. He is put into juvenile detention as a young man. There he meets a racist cop (Dan Hedaya), who dogs Carter for the rest of his life, setting him up for crimes, including the murder conviction. After Carter writes his autobiography and smuggles it out of jail, it's found by a Brooklyn teen (Vicellous Shannon), who has been adopted and taken in by a group of Canadian activists (Lieve Schreiber, John Hannah and Deborah Unger). They begin the fight to clear Carter's name, making him a cause celebe in the 1970s and 1980s. Their fight is ultimately successful and, after nearly 20 years in prison, Carter is freed.