“真実は、負けるはずがない。”
殺人罪に問われた天才ボクサー、ルービン・ハリケーン・カーターは、人種偏見に満ちた裁判で終身刑を宣告される。無罪を主張する彼は獄中で自伝を執筆。その自伝に感銘を受けた少年との出会いを機に、カーターは連邦裁判所で最後の戦いに挑む決意をする。
製作費: $50,000,000 (75億円)
興行収入: $73,956,241 (111億円)
推定収支: $23,956,241 (36億円)
※製作費・興行収入はTMDBのデータを参照しています。収支は(興行収入 - 製作費)で算出したFindKey独自の推定値であり、広告宣伝費や諸経費は含まれません (1ドル=150円換算)。
Denzel Washington is really quite convincing here as the real-life boxer Ruben Carter who fought his way from poverty to a crack at the title only for it to be snatched away from him. That’s because he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and swiftly found himself on the wrong end of a triple life sentence for murder. With the authorities quite happy that the right man (or, indeed, any man) is locked up for these crimes, nobody is interested in paroling him let alone hearing any appeals. Things might be about to change, though, when the young Lesra (Vicellous Shannon) reads of his case and together with a few of his own mentors, decides that he is going to strive to prove Carter’s innocence. What’s quite clear is that his incarceration has robbed Carter of any semblance of faith in the system, and his anger is barely disguised as his contempt becomes more ingrained and his despair more entrenched. The young Lesra does, however, manage to make him see that there is always hope, even when it’s clear that for the establishment, admitting it is/was wrong is simply not on it’s agenda. To add to the complications, there are also some more venal aspects enthusiastic for him to remain in jail and finally there is the convicting sheriff (Dan Hedaya) who is as racist as it’s possible to get, and who has no intention of seeing his quarry ever escape from behind bars. There are a few solid supporting roles from Liev Schrieber and briefly from Rod Steiger - though not so much from the curiously cast John Hannah - to support this developing critique on the flawed justice system that put him there, and though there’s no actual jeopardy to the conclusion of the story, Norman Jewison and Washington do still manage to keep this interesting for much of it’s admittedly overlong two and an half hours as it spotlights racial discrimination and hatred hiding in plain sight. It drags a little at times, but for the most part is quite a compelling drama.
