Film review: 'Hurricane'
Not to be confused with the old Dino de Laurentiis disaster movie, this "Hurricane"'s eye is not in the sky but rather down much lower, on the hard mean streets of urban America.
The film's director, Morgan J. Freeman -- again, not to be confused with the gifted veteran actor -- has visualized a tempestuous yet sweet story of a 15-year-old boy who grows up without a parent in what passes for his home. Hard in its depiction of big-city life but soft in its equivocation of a boy's dreams and hopes, this shimmering film should definitely warrant distributor interest.
At first glance, Marcus (Brendan Sexton III) seems just another East Village punk, shoplifting and hell-raising and hanging out with his buddies in an abandoned underground bomb shelter. Already, the local beat cops have pegged him as yet another up-and-coming habitual criminal.
Yet, when he's not careening through the streets on his mini-bike, Marcus is a dutiful and kind kid, living with his Grandma, who runs a bar, and visiting his Mom in prison. Unlike his peers, Marcus has a dream, to move to New Mexico and start a new life nourished by the clean air and open opportunities that beckon there. Best for Marcus, on the eve of his 15th birthday, he finds a girl (Isidra Vega) with whom he shares his dream. Unfortunately, not only Marcus' dream but his illusions (namely, the reason for his Mother's incarceration) come shattering down upon him and he is dragged deeper into the criminal activities of his more concrete-grounded buddies.
In this kind-spirited film, writer-director Freeman has honed the rough edges off a harrowing urban environment and shown us the sweetness and innate decency of one very disadvantaged young teen. He has given us, beneath the horror of the setting, a gentle story of one brave boy's singular struggle to overcome and escape his world. The writing is solid and deep and the visualizations are particularly strong. Along with cinematographer Enrique Chediak, Freeman has stirred up a succinctly powerful visualization of this tempestuous urban world.
The charismatic cast is well-chosen. Brendan Sexton III is strong as Marcus, conveying a strength and purpose beneath the character's rag-tag bluster. As Marcus' bartending Granny, Lynn Cohen's feisty sparkle clues us to the stronger strains of the family lineage. Among Marcus' street friends, Antoine McLean is outstanding, engaging as a chubby boy with a conscience, while David Roland Frank is aptly chilling as the group's nastiest dude.
HURRICANE
Producers Galt Neiderhoffer, Gill Holland,
Morgan J. Freeman
Screenwriter-director Morgan J. Freeman
Line producer Nadia Leonelli
Executive producers L.M. Kit Carson,
Cynthia Hargrave
Director of photography Enrique Chediak
Production designer Petra Barchi
Costume designer Nancy Brous
Sound Robert Taz Larrea
Color/stereo
Cast:
Marcus Brendan Sexton III
Lucy Lynn Cohen
Paco Shawn Elliot
Kramer Jose Zuniga
Joanne Edie Falco
Chip David Roland Frank
Harold Antoine McLean
Benny Carlo Alban
Louis Mtume Gant
Running time -- 89 minutes...
The film's director, Morgan J. Freeman -- again, not to be confused with the gifted veteran actor -- has visualized a tempestuous yet sweet story of a 15-year-old boy who grows up without a parent in what passes for his home. Hard in its depiction of big-city life but soft in its equivocation of a boy's dreams and hopes, this shimmering film should definitely warrant distributor interest.
At first glance, Marcus (Brendan Sexton III) seems just another East Village punk, shoplifting and hell-raising and hanging out with his buddies in an abandoned underground bomb shelter. Already, the local beat cops have pegged him as yet another up-and-coming habitual criminal.
Yet, when he's not careening through the streets on his mini-bike, Marcus is a dutiful and kind kid, living with his Grandma, who runs a bar, and visiting his Mom in prison. Unlike his peers, Marcus has a dream, to move to New Mexico and start a new life nourished by the clean air and open opportunities that beckon there. Best for Marcus, on the eve of his 15th birthday, he finds a girl (Isidra Vega) with whom he shares his dream. Unfortunately, not only Marcus' dream but his illusions (namely, the reason for his Mother's incarceration) come shattering down upon him and he is dragged deeper into the criminal activities of his more concrete-grounded buddies.
In this kind-spirited film, writer-director Freeman has honed the rough edges off a harrowing urban environment and shown us the sweetness and innate decency of one very disadvantaged young teen. He has given us, beneath the horror of the setting, a gentle story of one brave boy's singular struggle to overcome and escape his world. The writing is solid and deep and the visualizations are particularly strong. Along with cinematographer Enrique Chediak, Freeman has stirred up a succinctly powerful visualization of this tempestuous urban world.
The charismatic cast is well-chosen. Brendan Sexton III is strong as Marcus, conveying a strength and purpose beneath the character's rag-tag bluster. As Marcus' bartending Granny, Lynn Cohen's feisty sparkle clues us to the stronger strains of the family lineage. Among Marcus' street friends, Antoine McLean is outstanding, engaging as a chubby boy with a conscience, while David Roland Frank is aptly chilling as the group's nastiest dude.
HURRICANE
Producers Galt Neiderhoffer, Gill Holland,
Morgan J. Freeman
Screenwriter-director Morgan J. Freeman
Line producer Nadia Leonelli
Executive producers L.M. Kit Carson,
Cynthia Hargrave
Director of photography Enrique Chediak
Production designer Petra Barchi
Costume designer Nancy Brous
Sound Robert Taz Larrea
Color/stereo
Cast:
Marcus Brendan Sexton III
Lucy Lynn Cohen
Paco Shawn Elliot
Kramer Jose Zuniga
Joanne Edie Falco
Chip David Roland Frank
Harold Antoine McLean
Benny Carlo Alban
Louis Mtume Gant
Running time -- 89 minutes...
- 1/27/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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