"[ Announcer ] Just a reminder, ladies and gentlemen, this fine young fighter will be right here in Pittsburgh... on the boxing card this Monday night." "[ Bell Rings ]" "Time now for the main event of the evening !" "[Crowd Cheering, Applauding]" "In this corner, from Paterson, New Jersey, wearing the white trunks with the blackstripe, the winner of 18 of his last 21 fights," "Rubin "Hurricane" Carter !" "[ Cheering Intensifies ]" "And in the left corner, in the dark trunks with the white stripe, from St. Thomas, Virgin lslands, the welterweight champion of the world," "Emile Griffith !" "[Cheering Continues]" "[ Referee ] Fighters, let's go." "All right." "All right, keep your punches up." "It's gonna be a good, clean fight, all right ?" "All right, touch gloves." "Good luck." "Go to your corners." "[Man] Hurricane, blow yourself outta here !" "[Woman Shouting]" "Go get 'im, Rubin." "Let's get 'im." "[Bell Rings]" "Come on and get me!" "I'm in here !" "I tell you what-- first one through that door is gon' die !" "And the second one and the third one after that, so come on !" "Room in here for everybody." "Collins !" "Becker !" "Klein on the platform !" "Lock 'em down !" "Go !" "It's Carter, tier one!" "Got room in here for everybody, so come on !" "[ Rings ]" "Three times life." "That's what I got." "Three times life !" "And for what ?" "For murders I didn't even commit ?" "I ain't got nothin' but time, so come on !" "Come on in and get me!" "Y'all wanna know who's talkin' ?" "Hurricane is talkin'!" "You wanna see the Hurricane ?" "Come on up in here and see him !" "Did you see that punch ?" "Oh, no !" "[ Man ] Lucky punch !" "You got him, Rubin boy !" "Three, four, five, six" "You all right ?" "Yeah, I'm all right." "[ Referee ] All right, let's go !" "Knock him out !" "Come on !" "[Man] He's in your corner!" "Get out of the corner!" "[Commentator] Another left to the body !" "Another right to the head!" "A vicious combination !" " Yeah !" "[Commentator] And he looks like he's going down !" "He hits the canvas!" "Four, five" "It doesn't look like he's gonna get up." "He's up !" "The referee is checking him." "You all right ?" "That's it !" "It 's over!" "At 2 minutes and 13 seconds of the first round," "Rubin "Hurricane" Carter has defeated... the welterweight champion of the world!" "Come on, come on, come on !" "Come on !" "Come on !" "Who's first ?" "Shut up !" "Relax there, Carter !" "What the hell's going on ?" "I'm going in there." "Are you nuts ?" "You wanna get yourself killed ?" "Everybody stand down !" "Stand down !" "Come on in here." "Talk to 'em, Jimmy." "Talk to them !" "I ain't taking' no shit !" "Rubin, calm down !" "It's me, Jimmy." "Talk to me." "I ain't taking' no shit in here !" "Rubin, calm down !" "Take it easy, champ." "Now tell me what's going on." "Tell me what's happening." "Come on." "[Prisoner Shouts, Faint] Hurricane done killed 'em !" "[Jimmy] Clear" " Clear the tier." "Get out of here, everybody !" "[Guards, Prisoners Shouting]" "They wanna toss my cell, Jimmy." "They're gonna find my manuscript." "That book is the only thing I got left in here." "You understand me ?" "That's the only chance I got to get out of here." "I lose that, they gonna lose too." "Rubin, who do you think the first man through this door has gotta be now ?" "It's me." "Listen-- All right." "Come on in here." "Line 'em up." "Line 'em up, Jimmy." "Listen to me now." "What if that manuscript wasn't in this cell when we tossed it ?" "What if it was stuffed down your pants or something and we couldn't see it ?" "I can makesure you weren't strip-searched." "Okay ?" "[ Whispers ] Don't bullshit me." "No bullshit." "You have my word." "[ Murmuring ]" "Ain't nobody puttin' their hands on me, Jimmy." "Ain't nobody gonna touch me." "All right." "Nobody touches you." "You think I killed them people ?" "I don't know, Rubin." "I don't know." "[ Engine Idles, Stops ]" "[ Engine Idles, Stops ]" "[Woman Laughing, Chattering]" " [ Woman Gasps ] - [Patrons Screaming]" "[Screaming Continues] [Gunshots Continue]" "[ Tires Squeal ]" "Shit." "Motherfuckers." "[Radio Dispatcher] 1-10, suspect at 1059" "[Rubin ] John, you been drinkin ' ?" "No." "Just relax." "Let me handle this." "Okay." "[ Coughs ]" "License and registration." "It's on the steering post." "What's going on ?" "Shit, Hurricane, didn't realize it was you." "Yeah, it's me." "What's going on, Theo ?" "We're looking for two negroes in a white car." "Any two will do ?" "No" "[Doors Slam] Oh, sh" "Okay, get out." "All right, let's go." "[Radio Dispatcher, indistinct]" "Come on." "[Monitor Beeping]" "Check his vitals." "[Man] lt 's clear." "Airpassage." "[Woman] Heart rate has changed." "Chin up." "Keep the passage open." "Can he talk, Doc ?" "Just for a moment." "Would you raise his head ?" "Can you make out these two men ?" "Are these the two men who shot you ?" "Look carefully, sir." "Are these the two men who did it ?" "[ Wheezing ]" "He said no." "Move closer." "He said no." "Move closer." "Take another look, sir." "[ Chuckles ]" "Son of a bitch." "Sir, look closer." "You sure these aren't the men ?" "Dirty son of a bitch." "Watch your mouth." "Same old shit, huh, Della Pesca ?" "Shut up." "Ask him again." "You been after me my whole life, Della Pesca." "Now you're tryin' to pin a murderjack on me." "Well, it don't fit." "I'm gonna take your black ass down," "Mr. Fuckin' Champion of the World." "I got your black fuckin' champion right between my legs, you short punk bitch." "You try me." "That's just what I'm gonna do." "Pistolshots ring out in the barroom night" "Enter Patty Valentine from the upperhall" "She sees the bartender in a pool of blood" "Cries out, My God they've killed them all" "Here comes the story of Hurricane" "The man the authorities came to blame" "Forsomething that he never done" "[Typing]" "Put in a prison cell but one time" "He could've been the champion of the world" "Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties" "Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise" "While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell" "An innocent man in a living hell" "Yes, that's the story of Hurricane" "But it won't be over till they clear his name" "And give him back the time he's done" "Put in a prison cell but one time" "He could've been the champion of the world" "[Young Man] Hey, man, it's cold out here." "[OlderMan] What are you talking about ?" "It's like summer for us." "Well, like the summers in Brooklyn better." "[OlderMan Laughs]" "All these people freezing their butts off to buy books ?" "That's right." "Lined up like this, not for a movie or ball game or somethin' ?" "Ain't it great ?" "No, isn't it." ""Isn't it great ?"" "Very good." "I stand corrected, Les." "Used books ?" "Books nobody wants anymore ?" "That's the great thing about books." "Once you use them, you can pass them along to somebody else... like a torch..." "or a football." "You know, something you pass." "Okay, bring it on in." "Put it down." "Good, good." "Down." "Okay, young man, that'll be 25 cents." "Jesus." "Twenty-five cent ?" "Mustn't be much of a book." "[Pop ]" "So, Lesra, what'd you get ?" "Uh, this." "What is it ?" "I don't know." "It's about a boxer." "It's got, like, 337 pages, though, you know." "Well, it probably takes a lot of words to tell someone's life story, eh ?" "Yeah, well, this guy must be, like, 150 years old if he gon' use all these words." "Sometimes we don't pick the books we read-- they pick us." "[Continues] lt 's unfair Can I get some whiskey" "Can I get some whiskey" "Can I get some whiskey" "We 've been homeschooling this young man for eight months." "That's how it applies to us." "I'm not married." "Mr. Swinton, who you spoke with, is one of the two men I live with." "No, Sam Chaiton is the other man I live with." "I don't think you do see, Mr. Broden." "They are my business partners and my roommates." "You're the Department of Education... and you're telling me you're prepared to stop this young man's education... because you can't find some goddamn high school records ?" "Yep, that's exactly what I'm doing, Mr. Broden." "[DoorShuts]" "I'm not asking you to make an exception." "I'm asking you to do your job, which is different, but I thank you for it anyway." "Shit." "Political Science 101." "That art of gentle persuasion." "Never mind 101 ." "I need a smoke." "So how was the book sale ?" "Great." "There." "Did you get The Other America ?" "Uh, I couldn't find The Other America, but I got you" "Sam, Robertson Davies, R.D. Laing." "Don't piss me off today." "It's a book sale, Lisa, not a library." "Whatever." "Hey, look, Lisa." "Got this one right here for 25 cent." "The Sixteenth Round." "Oh, your first book, huh ?" "Yeah." ""Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter."" "[Rubin ] Hurricane is the professional name I acquired later on in life." "Carteris the slave name that was given to my forefathers... who worked in the cotton fields of Alabama and Georgia... and was passed on to me." "The kindest thing lcan say about my childhood... is that I survived it." "[ Yelling, Laughing ] Paterson wasa run-down town, a poor and violent place." "The only way to survive was to know how to handle yourself, and I learned fast." "[ Yelling Continues ] Hurry up !" "Hurry up !" "Get out of here !" "Let's go !" "Let's get out of here !" "Hold on." "Wait, wait, wait." "Take this out." "Hey, Donnique, go for a swim !" "[ Laughing, Chattering ]" "Hello, boys." "Wanna see something ?" "Huh ?" "Isn't that pretty ?" "You like that ?" "What's your name ?" "Donnique." "Donnique ?" "That's a pretty name, Donnique." "You wanna be good to me, sugar ?" "H-H-Hey, mister!" "L-Leave him alone !" "I wouldn't hurt your friend." "Would I ?" "You don't need to be afraid, Donnique." "You're pretty." "How old are you ?" "Ten." "Ten ?" "I said, leave him alone !" " [ Grunts ] - [ Groans ]" "Run !" "Run !" "Come on !" "Get outta here !" "[ Grunting, Groaning ]" "You little bastard." "Let's get outta here !" "Black bastard !" "Goddamn it !" "[ Grunting Continues ]" "Please, mister !" "Put me down !" "Shut up, you son of a bitch !" "Put me down !" "[ Grunts ] [ Groans ]" "Ow !" "[ Continues Groaning ]" "[ Stuttering ]" "I didn't-- didn't do nothin' !" "Come on, let's go." "I didn't-- I didn't-- Shut up." "I didn't do nothin'." "[ Grunting, Yelling ] Come on, you" "No !" "Get in there." "It wasn 't me!" "[ Grunting, Stuttering ]" "I didn't do nothin'." "[ Loud Slam ]" "Sit down, kid." "[ Snaps Finger ]" "What have we got here ?" "It's a juvenile case." "He's a kid, Sarge." "He's only 11 years old." "It's a nigger with a knife." "I don't care how old he is." "Take care of it." "We know you were at the falls last week, and we know what happened." "You're gonna talk, you little son of a bitch." "You'll be making speeches when I get through with your black ass." "Ralph." "Ralph." "I'm Sergeant Detective Della Pesca." "You wanna tell me what happened ?" "What is it, you were trying to rob this man's gold watch, he fought back and so you stabbed him ?" "Is that pretty much it ?" "[ Stuttering ] I-I-I... didn't do nothing." "Let me tell you something, sunshine." "The man you stabbed... is a very important member of this community, and you are going down." "Do you see ?" "And I am gonna see to it personally." "As for you, Rubin Carter, you're a menace to society." "If something isn't done about you soon, you'll become a dangerous man in later life." "I only wish you were old enough I could send you to the state prison." "[ Crying ] I there fore sentence you... to the state home for boys in Jamesburg... from this day till you're 21 years of age." "[ Whimpering ] So be it." "[GavelBangs]" "[Rubin ] Jamesburg was a place of horror... that I would be forever sorry to have known existed." "It was there that I spent the next eight years learning how to maim, butcher... and fight for my survival." "I don't get what's going on." "I'm the boy's father." "I'll take care of him." "I don't know what you people" "I mean, what's it to you ?" "Mr. Martin, we've gotten to know Lesra over the past few weeks." "I gotta tell you, he's got more natural ability and enthusiasm... than just about any kid I've ever worked with." "So when he told us he wanted to go to college, we figured that's the way it was gonna be." "Well, I know he's smart." "There's no doubt about that, but, uh, he can't read, Mrs. Martin." "But we think we could teach him." "I mean, within two years, with a lot of work we could get him ready for college." "Well, that school's sure not doing it." "Now wait." "I am that boy's father." "But if they can give him-- They're talking to me, Alma." "Uh, Mr. Martin, we've got plenty of room." "If Lesra wants to learn, then we can teach him." "If you don't want that that's up to you, but no one is trying to replace you, sir." "This what you want, boy ?" "I wanna go to college." "If that's what it's gon' take, then yeah." "It don't seem right." "Why you gotta go, Lesra ?" "Don't you want me to go, El ?" "You should be here backing' me up." "Leave the boy, Elston." "Lesra goin' to Toronto now." "Got a job to do." "Wants to go to college." "[Rubin ] After eight years at Jamesburg, I escaped." "I was angry, embittered with life." "I ran as if on a cloud, unaware of how high I was stepping or of anything else around me." "There was room in my head for only one word, one thought.." "freedom." "I ran straight into the U.S. Army and a pair of paratrooper wings." "My whole life changed." "I learned that knowledge of self and kind... is the only true means to the liberation of the blackman." "I could do anything." "[Jukebox.." "Doo-Wop ] I overcame my stutter." "I became a prizefighter." "I came back to Paterson the all-Army European welterweight champ." "Let me have a soda, please." "Judy, who's that fine soldier... standing over there at the bar ?" "[Continues]" "Oh, he's a local boy." "Rubin Carter, I think." "Make it two." "[ Whispers ] I think he's comin' over here." "[ Whispers ] Uh-oh." "Stay cool." "Mm-mmm !" "I'm back." "Mmm, so you missed me, did you ?" "[ Man ] So, tell me" "Well, what do you want to know ?" "You're in my seat." "Uh, you know, I'm from Georgia, and I was thinkin' that afterwards... you and me" "You're in my seat, country." "I don't see your name anywhere." "That's 'cause you blinded by the ass-kickin' I'm about to put on you." "Now get up out of my seat." "Come on." "Take it easy." "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Calm down." "Let that motherfucker go." "Stop it." "You wanna come over and dance with me ?" "Hey, I'm talkin' to you." "Hmm ?" "Oh, you wanna fight, or you wanna dance ?" "He ain't worth it." "Yeah, you wanna dance." "Come on." "[Continues]" "Probably got a lot of hostility up in him." "[Woman On Jukebox] Should I let myself go [ Laughing ]" "In his direction" "Oooh-ahh Come on, sweet thing." "Is his love strong enough" "Oooh-ahh Come back here." "Formy heart's protection" "Oooh-ahh I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know" "You dance nice." "But he loves me so good" "Thank you." "Till I think I should Oh-oh" "Oooh-ahh lf l gave him my heart" "These hands are meant for more than just fighting." "Would he refuse it" "Would he tear it apart" "Or tenderly use it" "[Rubin ] Her name was Mae Thelma." "I don't know She was the prettiest woman I had ever seen." "I don't know I don't know I don't know" "But he hugs me so tight" "Till I think I might Oh-oh" "You got a girl around ?" "No." "I ain't got no girl." "No ?" "Well, I had a good time with you tonight." "[Woman] Mae Thelma, is that you ?" "Yeah, Mama, I'll be right up." "You gon' call me tomorrow ?" "I'm gon' call you tonight." "You can't call me tonight." "I'll call you tomorrow then." "Shh !" "[ Rapping On Window ]" "That your father ?" "No." "My father's asleep." "Your name Rubin Carter ?" "Yeah." "You're coming with us." "For what ?" "You heard the man." "What'd you think, we weren't gonna find you ?" "You still owe me time." "[ Radio Dispatcher ] 104, meet Vice officers at Glory Park." "[Door Closes, Engine Starts]" "[Car Pulls Away]" "All right, get out." "This way now." "Okay." "[Rubin ] From that moment on, I decided to take control of my life." "I made up my mind to turn my body... into a weapon." "I would be a warrior-scholar." "I boxed." "I went to school." "I began reading-- W.E.B. Du Bois, Richard Wright." "Move, tier one !" "[Buzzer Sounding]" "So I gave up all the worthless luxury... that most inmates crave." "The girlie books, fags, cigarettes, the movies-- l hated them." "ln fact, I hated everyone." "I didn 't even speak English." "I spoke hate." "And its verbs were fists." "I made up my mind... to turn my body into a weapon... that would eventually set me free... or kill anyone who sought to keep me in prison." "On September 21, 1961, I was released, and I vowed upon everything holy... never to come back to prison again." "[ Slams ] I had spent almost half my time on this Earth... in jail." "[Footsteps Approaching]" "[Knocking On Door]" "Hey, come on, Lesra." "Time to get up." "Breakfast, buddy." "[ Mutters ] Yeah." "All right." "I'm up." "I'm up." "[Swinton] Did you get any sleep ?" "Your light's been on all night." "[Lesra ] I can't stop reading." "This book's about my life." "Jeez, Lisa, you gotta smoke for breakfast ?" "Whew." "Do you know when we met in Brooklyn ?" "Yeah." "Why'd you take me home ?" "You know, you met my folks, man, you brought me up here, you did all this stuff for me." "Yeah ?" "No, I mean why ?" "Why'd you do all that ?" "'Cause you were smart and funny." "And short." "We figured it'd be good for you... to spend a little time with some tall white people." "Yeah, absolutely." "What, did you do it 'cause I'm black ?" "You thought I couldn't do it myself?" "'Cause Rubin," "Rubin did it all himself, you know." "Hey, Les, we didn't feel sorry for you." "We met you, got to know you and realized you could accomplish some things... and, like a lot of us, you could use some help." "I'm sure that Hurricane Carter had some help along the way." "None of us does it alone." "Hey." "As far as doing it for yourself goes, nobody can learn anything for you." "Trust me." "Everything you're doing now, you're doing for yourself." "[Phone Rings]" "I'll get it." "[Phone Rings]" "You know, I been thinkin'." "Yeah ?" "About what ?" "[Lisa ] No, no, he's here." "He just" "Think I wanna put up a heavy bag." "You know, like a big punching bag." "[Lisa ] Uh, those renovations ?" "The end of the month." " Any special reason ?" " No, man." "I just feel like punching' somethin', you know." "That's it." "It's set." "Whoo !" "Whoo !" "Oh !" "Oh !" "A little low." "Keep the left down." "[Rubin ] Straight out of prison, I was a fighting machine." "One thing I could do-- the only thing-- was box." "I had tasted my own blood, [Crowd Cheering, Faint, Volume increasing] and I loved it." "[Cheering Continues]" "This is your ringside commentator." "Tonight's fight brings together Rubin "Hurricane" Carter from Paterson, New Jersey, and Joey Cooper, who is currently undefeated." "Yeah !" "Way to go, Hurricane !" "And the champion, Joey Cooper, seems to be helpless... against Rubin Carter, the challenger." "You got him !" "Aah !" "Things have taken a surprising turn... in this middleweight fight tonight." "Joey Cooper in big trouble, Rubin Carter pouring it on." "Left hooks, right hooks, uppercuts" " Oh !" "[Ringside Announcer] He did it !" "Oh, look at this !" "What a disaster for Cooper!" "Carter is punishing him." "He's gonna" "Oh, he is down, folks !" "He is down for the count, and he is not getting up !" "Five, six, Come on !" "Get up !" "seven, eight, nine-- Get up now !" "Right now !" "You're out !" "Unbelievable !" "Rubin Carter comes on like a hurricane... and defeats the undefeated Joey Cooper in round one... of this middleweight fight !" "I don't believe it !" "Unbelievable upset tonight!" "Have you ever seen anything like it ?" "And the crowd is going wild here..." "[ Sighs ] in Reading, Pennsylvania." "[ Muttering ]" "Rubin Carter took this fight right away from him here this evening." "[ Reporters Shouting ]" "Mrs. Carter, what do you think it's going to be like... being married to such a ferocious fighter ?" "It's gon' be a little scary, but I'll try my best." "[ Reporters Laughing ]" "Can you believe that black son of a bitch ?" "He thinks he's champion of the world." "Fighter of the year, my ass." "A low-life criminal." "[ Chuckling ]" "[ Reporters Continue Shouting ]" "[Man] My mother told me" "'Fore she passed away" "Said Son, when I'm gone" "[Siren Wailing] Don't forget to pray" "'Cause there'll be hard times" "What do they expect ?" "Of course a riot broke out." "Hard times" "Every time we try to defend our own neighborhoods, they send the cops in to bust us in our heads." "If you feel so strongly about all this, Hurricane, why aren't you out there... in stead of sittin' in here drinkin' ?" "I'm drinking club soda, first of all, and I'm in here because you asked me to be here." "But you're right." "Maybe I should go down there." "Maybe I should grab my gun, shoot me half a dozen of them nigger-hatin' cops." "What you think, Bucky ?" "I know I can get me about five of'em before they get me." "Ed ?" "Huh ?" "How about you ?" "You wanna come ?" "[ Laughing ]" "Shit." "That's off the record, by the way." "Oh, he knows that." "Don't you ?" "Sure, champ, sure." "You betcha." "[Woman Gasps] [Man Shouts] Take that, champ !" "Get down." "Ohh !" "[ Baby Crying ]" "[Man Continues Shouting] Right here." "[Glass Shatters] [ Screams ] Rubin !" "Get down !" "Stay down !" "Oh, Lord, what is it ?" "[Man] Let's get outta here !" "[Tires Squealing, Car Racing Away] [ Baby Continues Crying ]" "You all right, T ?" "[Baby Whimpering] [Mae Thelma] Shh, it 's okay. lt 's okay." "Shh." "It 's okay." "All right, all right." "[ Baby Continues Crying, Whimpering ]" "You all right ?" "You know why they did this." "Shh." "All right." "Come on, come on." "I told you it was off the record." "Nothin' with you is "off the record." I don't wanna go into it" "You never talk to them people." "All right, all right-- Everything you say, they gon' make up somethin' different." "Why do you say these things ?" "You tryin' to get us killed ?" "I know what they're doin'" "So what you want me to do, huh ?" "You want me to roll over and just lay dead ?" "Pride." "It ain't nothin' but pride." "Damn right it's pride." "I'm guilty." "Give me my baby." "[ Mae Thelma Sobbing ] [ Baby Continues Crying ]" "[Man Speaking Lyrics] You will not be able to stay home, brother." "You will not be able to plug in, turn on and drop out." "You will not be able to lose yourself on skag, and skip out for beer during commercials... because the revolution will not be televised." "The revolution will not be televised." "The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox and ballparks... without commercial interruptions." "The revolution will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning or white people." "You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom, the tiger in your tank... or the giant in your toilet bowl." "The revolution will not go better with Coke." "The revolution will not fight germs that may cause bad breath." "The revolution will put you in the driver's seat." "Break it up !" "Break it up !" "The revolution will not be televised-- will not be televised-- will not be televised-- will not be televised" "The revolution won't be no rerun, brothers." "The revolution will be live." "[Crowd Cheering] [Man] Champion of the world!" "Champion of the world!" "Yeah, they're still out." "[ Crowd Clapping Rhythmically, Tempo Accelerating ]" "I've seen a lot of things in my time, but it's taken 35 minutes for these judges to tell us... what this hometown crowd already knows." "Joey Giardello is about to lose the crown... to Rubin "Hurricane" Carter." "[ Cheering Intensifies ]" "Ladies and gentlemen, it's a unanimous decision." "The winner... and still champion of the world, [Crowd Yelling, Booing]" "Joey Giardello !" "Giardello !" "[ Cheering, Booing ]" "No, no, no." "Hey !" "What ?" " You've stolen it !" " Aw, shit !" "Bullshit !" "What is going on here ?" "Yeah !" "Yeah !" "Boo !" "All I can say... is these Philly judges must've been watching a different fight, because in the one we just saw..." "Hurricane Carter took the title." "[Woman] Oh, now tell me where can you party, child" "All night long ln the basement Down in the basement, yeah" "Oh, where can you go when your money gets low ln the basement Down in the basement" "And if a storm is takin 'place" "You can jam and still be safe ln the basement" "[Continues] I got somethin' special for you." "Hey, Hurricane." "How you doin' ?" "Hey, champ." "ln the basement Down in the basement" "Oh, you got the comforts of home Anybody call a cab ?" "A nightclub too ln the basement Down in the basement" "Anybody call a cab ?" "I did, unless Rubin 's taking me home." "Yeah, if I take you, it ain't gonna be home." "Mr. Carter !" "M-Mr." "Carter." "Headed 'cross town, Mr. Carter ?" "Yeah." "Why ?" "You need a ride ?" "W-Would you mind ?" "No, I wouldn't mind." "All right !" "Okay." "Come on." "You drive." "Drive your car ?" "Come on." "Oh, shit !" "My friends are never gonna believe I was cruising with the Hurricane." "What we wanna know is, can we get his autograph ?" "[Siren Wailing]" "Oh, shit." "Motherfuckers." "John, you been drinkin' ?" "No." "All right, just relax." "Let me handle this." "All right." "License and registration." "[ Chattering ]" "It's okay." "I got it." "You guys come with me." "B-E-L-L-O." "Bello." "[Man] Bradley." "B-R-A-D-L-E-Y." "Okay." "Are those the guys ?" "No ?" "Okay, let's go." "So what are you doing around here at that hour ?" "We was just taking a walk." "Right ?" "Yeah." "Just getting a pack of cigarettes." "That's it." "Both of you are in big trouble." "You're in violation of your parole." "But I don't wanna talk about the burglary." "We'll talk about your parole problem later, Bello." "As far as I'm concerned, no proof a burglary really took place." "See what I mean ?" "Yeah, I see what you mean." "I'm only interested in the facts in this case, and you and Bradley are the only two people that can help me out." "Do you follow ?" "Yeah, I follow." "Good." "Now, is there any scenario that you can imagine... in which you could be sure, really, positively sure... that the man you saw that night... was Rubin Carter ?" "Yeah." "Rubin Carter." "Yeah." "Wanna tell me again what happened ?" "You were there having a drink ?" "No, no, it was a" "I was going out for a pack of cigarettes." "Yeah." "I heard a couple of shots." "Then I saw these two colored guys come out of the bar." "And one of them was ?" "One of them was Rubin Carter." "Rubin Carter?" "Yeah, Rubin Carter, the fighter." "All rise !" "Court will come to order." "The Honorable Judge Larner presiding." "[Judge Larner] Be seated." "[Spectators Sitting, Murmuring]" "The defendants will rise." "Rubin Carter, although you still contend you are not guilty ofthe crimes charged against you, you were afforded a full and fair trial by a jury of your peers." "Have you reached a verdict ?" "Yes, we have, Your Honor." "We, the jury, find the defendants, Rubin Carter and John Artis, guilty on all counts." "Oh, no !" "[Spectators Murmuring] [Man] lt ain 't right!" "He's innocent!" "[GavelBangs]" "Order !" "No !" "Order in the court !" "No !" "Order." "The bail if will see to it that order prevails." "[Man] This ain 't right!" "Railroaded!" "[Mae Thelma Whimpering, Sobbing]" "[ Mae Thelma Whimpers ] No." "Rubin Carter, John Artis, for the murder of James Oliver... it is the Court's sentence... that you be imprisoned for the remainder of your natural life." "No !" "[ Spectators Gasping, Murmuring ]" "On the second count, the murder of Fred Nauyaks, you are sentenced to be imprisoned for the remainder of your natural life." "No, God, no !" "As to the third count in volving the murder of Hazel Tanis, it is the sentence of this Court that you be imprisoned... for the remainder of your natural life." "[ Sobbing, Wailing ]" "Okay, Carter, let's go." "Take it easy." "You're a tough guy." "He thinks he's gonna stay in a room, and that's it." "[DoorSlams]" "Put your clothes, shoes, your ring, your watch and whatever else you've got... in that bag." "You are being issued a standard inmate uniform with your numbers ewn on it... so that we can identify you immediately." "You'll go to have your facial hair shaved." "You know the rules." "No, I can't do it, Warden." "I beg your pardon ?" "I cannot do it." "Look, you have legal custody over my body, but I'm innocent." "I've committed no crime." "The crime's been committed against me." "I will not wear the clothes of a guilty man." "I'll go anywhere you want me to go in this penitentiary, Warden, but you let it be known in no uncertain terms... that any man who tries to put his hands on me" "[ Chuckles ]" "This place is where we tell you the rules." "You hear that ?" "Do you understand me ?" "Do you ?" "Because if you do, you had better strip right now... and put on that fucking uniform." "I can't do that." "Put this man in the hole." "Give him sufficient time... to reflect on how he intends to behave in this institution." "Ninety days." "Hey, Bobby, we got another one for you." "I like your suit." "[Door Slams]" "Three, two, one." "Lights-out." "You see ?" ""Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," "I will fear no evil."" "There's doubt." "The shadow is doubt." "The shadow is doubt." "But you're not gonna get me." "You're not gonna get me." "[Man] Lights-out." "[Coughing]" "What the fuck you talkin' about ?" "You can't break me 'cause you didn't make me." "You understand ?" "Huh ?" "[Carter] You fucked everything up for everybody, Rubin." "It's all fucked-up." "Who's that ?" "Y'all ain't got no speakers in here." "Who is that ?" "I put us into this situation any goddamn way, motherfucker." "I done fucked everything up for everybody." "You know that shit, that's all fucked up." "What the fuck they expect us to do now, huh ?" "Motherfucker." "I'm" " I'm" " I'm scared." "[ Muttering ]" "Shut up." "Shut the fuck up, you little skinny motherfucker." "You think your father beat your little stuttering ass ?" "Don't make me jump over there on ya." "No, you shut up." "Just shut the fuck up talkin' to me." "Fuck you talkin 'to ?" "You ain't telling' me what to say." "I'm running shit around here." "Fuck is wrong ?" "Ain't nobody running' shit." "I'm runnin' shit." "Shut the fuck up !" "What you say ?" "No." "No." "W-What are we gonna do now ?" "Huh ?" "I don't know what." "Shit, ain't nobody touching 'me." "Ain't a goddamn soul touching 'me." "Put your hands on me not twice." "You better not put your fuckin' hands on me." "Shut up !" "[ Whimpers ]" "Oh, yeah." "There 's our man." "I can feel the hate." "Can you feel it ?" "You can feel the hatred, Rubin." "Don't you wanna just hurt somebody ?" "I feel like I wanna kill somebody, 'cept there ain't nobody in here to kill," "'cept you, boy." "How 'bout it, Rube ?" "Go away from me !" "[ Crying ]" "All right, Carter." "Time's up." "Jesus Christ." "You could really use a shower." "You smell awful, Mr. Carter." "Why don't you take a shower, get you a decent cell with a bed and some food ?" "You'll feel a lot better." "At what price do I, uh, take this shower ?" "What do you mean ?" "What do I put on after I take this shower that's gonna make me feel so good ?" "What everyone else puts on." "That's the rules." "Yeah, well, you can just take me on back down to the hole." "You could die down there." "I could die up here too." "Look, what if I got you a pair of pajamas from the prison hospital ?" "Far as I'm concerned, you'd be wearing prison-issued clothing." "They got stripes ?" "No stripes." "What 'bout numbers ?" "No numbers." "What color are they ?" "They're white." "Okay." "I can live with those." "[ Sighs ] Thank you, Mr. Carter." "You're welcome, Mr. Williams." "Shower's all yours." "Thank you." "[Carter Narrating] lt came to me as kind of a revelation... that my own freedom lay in not wanting... or needing anything of which they could deprive me." "If punishment consisted of being locked in your cell, then by simply choosing to never leave my cell, I deprived them of that weapon." "I would not work in their shops." "I would not eat their food." "I began to study." "I dissected my entire case piece by piece, beginning with my initial arrest through the trial itself... and finally, to the awful verdict." "I didn't get a trial... free from constitutional error and racial prejudice." "He knows that." "You know it !" "That's not helpin' me in here, Myron." "Look." "Look !" "I'm innocent." "That's why." "Seven years !" "You're goddamn right it's seven years !" "Just get me outta here." "I want a new trial." "Okay ?" "[ All Chanting ] The people united will never be defeated." "The people united will never be defeated." "The people united will never be defeated." "The people united" "It shows that there's still hope." "There is hope for change in America." "I believe in law and order, and I believe that everybody have a right to another trial." "Here comes the story of the Hurricane" "The man the authorities came to blame" "For something that he never done" "[Man] Miss Ellen Burstyn." "Put in a prison cell But one time" "He could have been the champion of the world" "They ain 't givin 'up." "They said they're gonna demonstrate again." "Muhammad Ali and Ellen Burstyn and Bob Dylan, everybody." "That's good, Mae." "Everybody." "Look, Mae, uh, we've already lost two trials, and now they've turned down my request for an appeal." "I'm sorry, it, uh-- It's over." "It's finished." "And I'm gonna die in here, Mae, so" "Baby, listen." "There is still a chance." "Now, all we have to do is hang on." "Listen to me, now." "There's nothin' to hang on to, Mae." "I want you to divorce me." "Understand ?" "And I don't want you to come back down here." "No." "Now, you listen to me." "Mae, now, baby, don't-- Don't make this" "There are still things that we can do." "I am not gonna be a weight hanging' around your neck." "You are no weight around my neck." "You're a weight around mine." "Now, I can't do all the years I gotta do in here... knowing' they can take your beautiful face away from me anytime they want to." "You understand ?" "Rubin." "I ain't walkin' away from you." "I'm dead." "Rubin." "Just bury me, please." "Rubin ?" "Rubin ?" "Rubin, we're-- we're in this together now." "We just gotta hang on." "Guard." "Rubin." "Rubin." "We just gotta hang on." "We just gotta hang on." "[ Sobbing ]" "[Carter] I will bend time to my own clock." "When the prison is awake, I will sleep." "When they sleep, I will wake." "I will live neither in their cell... nor in my own heart," "only in my mind... and my spirit." "[Lesra ] "Once I reached my hand out for help," ""it came down and then withered..." ""as dry grass blown away into dust leaving nothing." ""Now I wait for nothin'." "I need nothin '." ""Not tomorrow." "Not freedom." "Not justice." ""ln the end, the prison will vanish," ""and there'll be no more Rubin," ""no more Carter," ""only the Hurricane." "And after him, there is no more."" "Man, what we gonna do ?" "Man, what we gonna do ?" " 'Bout what ?" " About the Hurricane, that's what." "Well, there's not much we can do, Lesra." "But the man's innocent, yet he's been in jail 15, 16 years." "That's not right." "I know that's what his book says." " Two juries found him guilty, Les." " Yeah, two white juries." "Hey, hey, not all white people are racists." "And not all black people are murderers." "Look, I just wanna write him a letter and tell him how much his book meant to me." "That's all." "I know you told me" "Such a long time ago" "Dear..." "Mr. Hurricane-- That you want me" "[ Sighs ] No." "That's really stupid." "You don't love me no more I wanna know" " What's that ?" " It's ten dollars, U.S." "[Continues]" "I thought he might need some money for stamps, if you want him to write you back." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Write me back." "That's cool." "Thanks, Lisa." "No problem." "Dear Mr. Rubin Carter," "I read your book, and I really felt sad... about what happened to you." "I want you to know how much your book meant to me." "[Bell Ringing]" "It 's here !" "Hey, he wrote us back!" "It's here !" "It's here !" "He wrote us back !" "Home of the brave." "Land of the free." "He wrote us back." "Can you stand it ?" "Well, open it already." "I don't know." "You think I should ?" ""Dear Lesra, Please forgive the seemingly tardy reply," ""but he who bemoans the lack of opportunity..." ""forgets that small doors many times open up into large rooms." ""lt was not only thoughtful, but insightful on your part." ""Stamps, paper and envelopes..." ""were exactly what was needed to complete this transmission." ""Your letter, feelings, concerns, desires and warmth..." ""literally jumped off the page at me..." ""when reading your heart felt message." ""lt is as if you heard my thoughts..." ""and reached out to share yours with me at a moment when I can hear you." ""So, thank you once again." ""Forever..." ""your friend and brother," "Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter."" "Wow." "You got your answer." "Yeah." "Dear Rubin, I've been thinking about my life compared to yours." "I come from Bush wick in Brooklyn." "My parents are alcoholics, and my brother's in prison." "I was third in my class, and I couldn't even read." "I couldn't write you this letter just a year ago, but then I met these friends from Canada when I had a summerjob at the EPA." "They offered to educate me, and they got me out." "Sometimes I feel guilty about my family 'cause I left 'em behind." "Now that I know you, I know it isn't right." "I shouldn't cry about my own feelings, not if you can do what you've done." "I've been thinkin 'though, I would like to come and visit you, if that will be all right." "[Bell Ringing]" "[Thunder Rumbling]" "[People Talking]" "[ Talking Continues ]" "[Door Slams]" "Palm down." "Right hand." "Keep the line moving." "Put your right hand out, please." "Palm down." "Keep the line moving." "Keep the line moving, please." "Okay, now." "[Man] Y'all listen up, now." "Visits for Jones, Taylor, Harris, Ramos," "Sykes, Carter, Tucei, line up right here." "Uh, you didn't call my boy's name." "Hemmings." "Eric Hemmings, 65660." "Hemmings ?" "Yeah." "Ah, no visit for Hemmings today." "He's in lockup." "Okay, Mac, open it up !" "[Man] Keep outta the way." "[Buzzer Sounding]" "Extend your arms." "Palms." "Turn around." "Show me your feet." "Spread 'em." "Next." "Open your mouth." "Roll your tongue." "Extend your arms." "Show me your palms." "Turn around." "Show me your feet." "Spread 'em." "Ready on the outside !" "Okay." "Come on." "Single file." "[Man] Let's go." "[ All Chattering ]" "[Man] Single file." "Let's go." "Single file." "Mr. Carter ?" "Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, that you ?" "Mm-hmm." "You don't look like your pictures." "I thought you'd be bigger." "Hey, I'm bigger than you." "But don't tell anybody, okay ?" "All right." "Okay." "Sit down." "Hey, this is some place, man." "No." "No, it's not." "This is no place, not for a human being." "Don't ever get used to a place like this, Lesra." "You got a lot of guts, kid." "Takes a lot of courage to come all the way down here by yourself." "I'm impressed." "I was scared you weren't gonna let me come." "Me too." "But you're Rubin "Hurricane" Carter." "What would you be scared of?" "Doors opening, of the light outside, of you." "Me ?" "Mr. Carter, I don't understand." "Mm-hmm." "Oh, no, no, no." "Don't call me Mr. Carter." "Call me Rube." "Rube ?" "Yeah." "Rube." "All right, Rube." "So, tell me about these folks you're livin' with." "Oh, the Canadians ?" "Yeah." "I got pictures of'em." "Here." "This is Sam, this is Terry and this is Lisa, and they're the greatest, man." "Huh." "Yeah." "I met 'em at an EPA in Brooklyn." "And, you know, they was doin' business and brought me home and stuff, and the rest is what happened, man." "Yeah." "That's when my life changed, Rube." "Hmm." "Just yanked a brother up and took him up to Canada, just like that ?" "No, no." "They asked my folks." "I see." "So what they do ?" "Are they a religious group or hippies or a commune or" "No." "They fix up houses and sell 'em." "You know ?" "They're just people." "Just people." "Just workin', eatin', livin' together ?" "I don't know." "This is what they do, man." "That's their thing." "What'd your folks say ?" "Oh, my dad, you know, he's happy." "He's glad for me." "Oh, good." "You see 'em much, your folks ?" "Yeah, but sometimes it's hard though." "Yeah, well" "Yeah, it's hard." "You give them hope." "Yeah, I guess." "You do." "You give 'em hope because you have transcended, Lesra." "It is very important to transcend the places that hold us." "You know that ?" "You've learned to read." "You've learned to write." "Writing is-- It's magic." "You feel that sometimes ?" "Yeah, I guess I do." "Mm-hmm." "When I started writing," "I discovered that I was doing more than just telling a story." "See, writing is a weapon, and it's more powerful than a fist can ever be." "Every time I sat down to write, I could rise above the walls of this prison." "I could look out over the walls all across the state of New Jersey, and I could see Nelson Mandela in his cell writing his book." "I could see Huey." "I could see Dostoyevsky." "I could see Victor Hugo, Emile Zola." "And they would say to me," "And I say, "Hey, I know all you guys."" "It's magic, Lesra." "They sure don't teach it that way up in Canada." "Maybe you could tell me some books to read." "I can do that." "But these people in Canada or anywhere else, they can only teach you so much." "It's up to you." "It's your search." "You gotta find out what's true for you, what is true for Lesra Martin." "I ain't never met nobody like you before." "You think I killed those people, son ?" "No, I know you didn't." "How you know ?" "I just know." "I'm so glad I met you, Lesra." "Me too." "[Guard] Visit 's up." "Everybody out." "Come on, folks, let's go." "You like a quick picture of you and your son, Mr. Carter ?" "[Guard] Come on, folks." "Let's go." "It's up to my son." "Yeah, all right." "All right." "[Guard] That's enough pictures." "Come on." "Let's go." "[Door Slams]" "[ Sighs ]" "[Carter] Dear Lesra, whoever is responsible for your present condition obviously cares agreat deal." "Forme, it wasa miracle to see such light in a human being again." "When you came, it was like the day had started off without the sun." "It's dim and it 's cool." "Then suddenly, and without any warning, the sunshine breaks through the dimness and lights up everything." "[Squawking]" "What ya gonna do Do you wanna get down" "What ya gonna do Do you wanna get down" "[Continues] You been all around the world, huh, Mobutu ?" "Been everywhere." "[Man] Shut your motherfuckin 'mouth up." "Where your people from, Africa ?" "Born in the Congo, mm-hmm." "In the blackness of black." "[ Scoffs ]" "My mother was a Pygmy." "She stood four foot, one inch." "Hmm." "My father was a big Watusi." "[ Chuckles ] He was seven foot, ten." "Oh." "He'd have to pick her up like a little child to kiss her." "Cute." "Get down on it lf you really want it Get down on it" "[Continues] What do you think of white folks ?" "Mmmmmm..." "Just a little bit too much of this stuff, you know ?" "But, uh, then again," "I once rode the rails with a hobo by the name of, um," "Alabama." "Now, he was white folks, and he was a good man." "Mm-hmm." "He saved my life three times." "Three times ?" "Mm-hmm." "Three times." "Three times life, huh ?" "Everything I lost... that really matters," "I lost at the hands of white folks." "I know what you mean, but they ain't all bad." "What ya gonna do Do you wanna get down" "What ya gonna do" "[Continues] But they sure can't dance." "[Chuckles]" "Oh, shit." "Mm-hmm." "Hey, y'all, this is where we go in." "Come on." "Come on !" "Don't look now, but we're being watched." "Stop it." "Somehow I don't think you can smoke in there." "Right over there." "Hey, Rube, man, we made it." "How you doin', man ?" "All right." "Sam." "Hey, Rubin." "Good to meet you." "Yeah." "Good." "Good." "Good." "Professor." "Yeah." "This is Terry." "Terry." "Nice to meet you." "It's my pleasure, Terry." "Heard a lot about ya." "Lisa." "Hi." "Lisa." "So, you don't look like I thought you'd look." "Lesra said you were so tough." "Is that good ?" "Don't know." "Don't know." "Don't know." "Come on." "Sit down." "Everybody together." "How can you stand it ?" "[ Chuckles ]" "So, uh, Rubin, how's the appeal goin' ?" "We hear it's with the New Jersey Supreme Court." "Have they set a date ?" "Why don't we talk about Lesra ?" "Well, I'm sure that Lesra wants to know what's happening with your case too." "My case is doing what it's doing." "I have to focus on the fact that I have to do the time." "Well, how do you do that ?" "How do I do that ?" "I do that by not allowing myself to want or to need... anything." "I'm free in here because there's nothin' I want out here." "Not free to want ?" "Not free to risk human contact ?" "This place doesn't allow you to be human." "The only contact you get in here is gettin' stabbed in the back... or gang-raped in the shower." "That's what they reduce you to." "You've obviously elevated it to something else with Lesra." "Because of you, I wanna be a lawyer when I grow up and prove you innocent." "Except we don't have to wait until I'm a lawyer because these guys are willing to help." "We all believe in your innocence." "I've been innocent for 16 years." "That's how long I've been in here." "Innocence is a highly overrated commodity." "None of us can judge what you've been through, but you might wanna consider" "You're damn right none of you can judge what I've been through, because none of you have been through it." "What do you know about doin 'time ?" "Tell me about it." "What do you know about what it is to be me ?" "What do you know about bein' in this place ?" "This is too much, you guys." "Yeah, you're right." "This is too much." "Um, y'all look." "Let's just go, all right ?" "[ Whispering ]" "Rubin." "Rubin." "Hey." "Hey." "Hey, listen, we left a package for you in the mail room." "[Buzzer Sounding]" "[Man] Yes." "Visitors left this for you in the mail room." "We had to open it 'cause of security." "Nice to have friends." "[Door Slams]" "[Men Chattering]" "[ Sighs ]" ""Special gift for the Hurricane."" "[Thinking] Don't trust 'em, Rubin." "Don't trust 'em." "You trust a bunch of little white-ass do-gooders... more than you trust me, more than you trust us." "[ Smacks Lips ] Yeah." "No more hate." "Try that on, huh ?" "[Thinking] Don't trust 'em." "They'll turn on ya." "Don't trust 'em, no." "Think me and you." "Me and you." "See how that fits." "It's time." "For what ?" "It's time for you to go." "Don't you turn your back on me, nigger." "Rubin !" "Rubin !" "Ladies and gentlemen, in this corner" "[Announcer] ln this corner, from Paterson, New Jersey, wearing the white trunks with blackstripes," "Rubin "Hurricane" Carter!" "[Bell Rings] [Crowd Cheering]" "Okay, Sam." "You joining us ?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "Lesra, get up the back." "[Lisa ] Dear Rubin, I can't believe the warmth and beauty of your letter." "Ready ?" "We get a rich, deep feeling of experiencing your presence." "You've made what we 've been saying the truth, that you can't keep people back who refuse to be kept back." "Here we go." "Here we go." "We work out of our home, so we 're always here if you'd like to call." "We'd really like to hear your voice." "[Carter] You are very persuasive, and I thank you for all the things you send me, but you people are a bad influence on me." "I'm startin 'to like all this stuff a little too much." "You're lettin 'me get loose." "[Phone Ringing]" "Hello ?" "Yeah, I'll accept the charges." "Hey, Rube, what's happening, man ?" "Lesra, boy, you, uh" "Well, you sound more like a man every day." "[ Laughing ] Get outta here." "Where is everybody ?" "Oh, you know Canadians." "They're not happy unless they're outside tapping' a tree for maple syrup." "I don't know how they do it." "It's cold out there." "What's up, Rube ?" "Something happen ?" "Yeah, I, um, heard from the courts, Lesra." "Been denied." "I lost the appeal." "Oh, no, man." "Look, hold on, Rube." "Let me tell everyone, okay ?" "I gotta go, little brother." "No." "Wait, Rube." "Wait." "Wait." "But, Rube !" "Rubin !" "What's going on ?" "[ Dial Tone ]" "Lost the appeal." "Oh, no." "[Carter] Dear Lesra, Terry, Sam," "Lisa," "This is, in many ways, the saddest letter l've ever had to write." "I appreciate your many efforts and kindnesses, but I am a prisoner." "My number is 45472, and my job" ""My number is 45472, and my job-- The key to my survival..." ""lies in my ability to do the time." ""This place is not one in which humanity can survive, only steel can." ""This will be my last letter to you." ""Please do not write." "Please do not visit." ""Please find it in your hearts to not weaken me with your love." "Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter."" "Open up, Ken." "Okay." "Thanks." "Rubin," "I got a letter here for you from Canada." "I'm just gonna slide it in here for ya." "You do what you want with it." "[Lesra ] "Dear Rube," ""l know you asked us not to write," ""so I'm not writing, just sending you two things." ""One's a picture of me and my new girlfriend, Pauline." ""The other is something that rightfully belongs to you," ""'my high school diploma." "Your friend and brother forever, Lesra Martin. "" "[Strings]" "[ Continues ]" "[Woman] Don't count the stars" "Or you [ Ringing ]" "Might stumble" "[Continues]" "Hello." "[Off]" "Yes, I accept-- I accept the charges." "Rubin ?" "Hey." "Rubin, I can't hear you." "Rube ?" "Hello ?" "He said he can't do the time." "Uh, collect call to anyone from Mr. Rubin Carter." "Take one." "Yes ?" "Rubin ?" "Lesra ?" "No, it's Terry." "I'm here with Lisa and Sam and Lesra's here." "Hey, how y'all doin' ?" "Look out the window." "What ?" "You see that light ?" "The one that's blinking ?" "You see it ?" "Yeah." "Can you see Lesra ?" "Yeah, I see you." "What are y'all doin' here ?" "Whoo !" "Whoo !" "Can he see us ?" "Yeah, he can see you." "Whoo !" "Whoo !" "Rube!" "We're here." "We've moved down here." "For what ?" "We're in this thing full-time until you walk outta there." "Hold on." "Lisa wants to say something." "[Lesra ] Hurricane!" "Hey, Rube." "Looks like you got some foot soldiers now, huh ?" "We're all in this together, and we're not leaving till we all leave." "You're beautiful." "We're gonna take you home." "Okay." "Okay." "Rubin has asked us to give you copies of everything that we have... and to answer any questions." "And since we've represented him for over ten years, there's an awful lot of material." "I mean, we have rooms full of files." "Absolutely, and, uh, please understand that we are not here... to second-guess you or" "You know, we've come down here to help in any way we can." "Anything, you know ?" "Anything at all." "Well, that's very kind of you, and I congratulate you on your dedication to Rubin's case." "Uh, maybe I should add... that in those ten years we 've been working on this, we 've donated our services." "We've never asked for a dime." "We never expect one." "Do we ?" "No." "I wanted to be sure." "And also in that time, uh, there have been a lot of people, great people, all well-intentioned." "Famous." "Infamous." "Or not." "Boxer, singers, writers, actors, journalists, etcetera." "A lot of brave people who gave of their time, and to some degree risked their reputations." "People like you." "And, uh, people come and go." "And, frankly, nobody lasts." "Nobody stays the course." "Nobody goes the distance..." "because it's too tough." "It 's too slow, and it 's heartbreaking." "It's too heartbreaking." "With all due respect, Mr. Friedman, what you have to understand is that we're here." "We've moved here, and we have every intention of staying here until Rubin is free." "Right on." "[Sam] So we finally got in to see your lawyers, Beldock and Friedman, the otherday." "[Sam] So we finally got in to see your lawyers, Beldock and Friedman, the otherday." "How'd they take it ?" "Oh, I'd say we handled ourselves pretty well." "Yeah, we hauled about, what, ten tons of documents into the apartment." "In broad daylight ?" "Oh, yeah." "Wait a minute." "Listen to me." "This is not Canada." "Now, I can protect you in here, but there's not much I can do for you on the outside." "The only way I'm ever leaving this place is... ifa lot of very important people are exposed." "They're not just gonna let that happen." "You understand ?" "We'll be careful." "Okay." "Well, why don't you walk us through what happened that night ?" "Now, three cops have testified the shooting occurred at 2:45." "So, what time did you leave the Nite Spot ?" "2:30." "Oh, now tell me where can you party, child, all night long ln the basement" "[Continues] Anybody call a cab ?" "Time for me to get outta here." "How much do I owe you, Big Ed ?" "Your money's no good here." " Anybody call a cab ?" " I did." "Unless Rubin's taking me home." "Mm-hmm." "If I take you, it's gonna be more than home." "[ Laughs ]" "Get on outta here, girl." "Shit." "What were you doin' out so late on a Thursday night ?" "[Rubin ] What does it matter what night it was ?" "Wasn't Thursday night ladies' night ?" "Didn't it matter to your wife ?" "I'm in the penitentiary for murder, not attempted adultery." "[All Snickering]" "So there was a cab there." "He must have seen you leave, right ?" "No." "No, he left before I did." "[ Chattering ]" "Bye, Rubin." "Take it easy." "[Man] Hey, turn around." "Huh ?" "Hey !" "Whoa !" "He's gone !" "[Carter] I wish to God John Artis had met a girl that night." "I wish that, uh, he hadn't been there at all." "He didn't deserve this." "He didn't deserve any of it." "[Man] Artis, let's go." "You're done." "[Carter] He got the same sentence I got... and all he had to do was lie and say I killed those people... and they would have let him out... and his nightmare would have been over." "Most men couldn't have stood up to that kind of torture, but John Artis did." "The man is my hero." "So the police said it was 2:45 or a little after... when all hell broke loose at the Lafayette bar." "That's what they said." "Apparently, the two gunmen entered the bar and immediately started shooting." "[Woman Laughing]" "According to William Marins, two guys barged in and just opened fire." "Oliver goes down first." "Nauyaks." "Then Marins was the only one that got a look at them." "[ Screaming ] Then they shoot Hazel Tanis and leave." "[ Groaning ]" "What's Bello doing ?" "Bello was a lookout for a burglary up the street." "[Terry] And who else saw anything ?" "[Carter] Patty Valentine." "She said she saw the getaway car." "And there was a man who lived across the street by the name of Avery Cockersham." "[Sam] Cockersham ?" "That name was in the police report." "[Carter] That's right." "So how come he didn't testify ?" "The judge threw the police report out." "Cockersham left town." "Nobody could find 'im." "[ Tires Squealing ]" "[ Screams ]" "It was two colored guys." "They just walked in, they started shootin'." "Call the cops." "Now, according to the police, the murders were racially motivated." "The bar didn't serve blacks, so, naturally, this crazy nigger, Rubin Carter, had to take out his vengeance on the entire white race." "This is Exhibit 11-F." "This is 1966." "What are you talking about ?" "Where are you?" "Trial transcripts, 1966." "Valentine first said... the car's tail lights were similar to the getaway car." ""Similar." Right." "Then in '76, Exhibit 89-C, she says, quote," ""The Carter car was unquestionably the same car." "There was no doubt."" "Closed quote." "Exactly." "Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it ?" "[Laughing]" "Second trial, ten years later, suddenly she changes her story." "She drew a picture, like a bow tie." "Yeah, yeah." "I got it here." ""Tail lights lit up all across the back like a butterfly, as the killer's car drove away."" ""Like a butterfly."" "So the first thing we have to do is find out exactly what Rubin 's car looked like." "We need to find a '66 Dodge Polara." "Mm-hmm." "[Lisa ] There 's the bow-tie lights, like Patty Valentine described." "I'm not so sure about that." "[Terry] You ready ?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "See that ?" "They don't light up all the way." "Oh, yeah, that's a Dodge Monaco." "You don't want one of those." "They don't have the power." "I'll make you a good deal on this one." "Shit." "Monaco ?" "[Door Slams]" "[Footsteps Approaching]" "Mr. Carter ?" "Yeah." "I was told to get you." "Get me ?" "By whom ?" "The warden wants to see ya." "For what ?" "I don't know." "Open up, Al." "[Man] Mr. Carter." "I have a difficult job running this place, but I do it." "I do it really well." "You called me down here at 3:00 in the morning to tell me that ?" "I hear things." "I hear everything." "[ Scoffs ] What have you heard, Warden ?" "I hear something's goin' down." "I don't want a mess, something that I can't clean up." "This doesn't have anything to do with my case, does it ?" "Shit happens everyday, and I wanna warn you, that's all." "Somebody tries to take you down, something gets started," "I can't stop it." "You understand me ?" "What do you suggest I do ?" "Stay alive." "And that goes for your friends too." "Guard !" "[ Rings ]" "[Woman] Who is it ?" "We're looking for an Avery Cockersham." "Do the Cockershams live here ?" "I'm Mrs. Cockersham." "What do you want ?" "You're black." "You're white." "Baked fresh this morning." "You take the white one." "Yeah, there were plenty colored folks in the neighborhood... and in the bar too." "Avery and me were regulars." "They served blacks in the bar ?" "We had a runnin' tab." "So much for the racial motive." "My Avery got a good look at those men, and it wasn't Rubin Carter." "He told the police." "He told them and he told them." "He even signed a statement for that detective." "You know the one." "Heavyset." "Look like a bulldog with glasses." " Della Pesca." " That's the one." "Could we, uh, talk with your husband ?" "Avery's dead." "He died just before the trial." "I'm sorry." "Here's stuff I wanna check out." "Who the fuck you think you are ?" "Does this look like Toronto to you ?" "Excuse me ?" "You've got some nerve comin 'down here, poking' your nose where it don't belong." "Let me ask you something, Mr. Canada." "What the fuck do you know about this place, huh ?" "You know anything ?" "You don't know shit." "Let me enlighten you... because you don't know what you're doing." "You are makin' enemies that you don't know exist." "Huh ?" "We know about you." "You don't know shit about me." "You understand ?" "You don't know shit about this place, so let me tell ya something else." "You're not welcome here." "You're not fuckin' welcome here." "You got that ?" "Go back to where you belong." "[ Spits ]" "[ Tires Squealing ]" "Lesra's gonna have to get on with school, so we might want to send him back for a while." "I understand." "It's probably the best." "Yeah." "Yeah." "What about you ?" "Oh, it's-- it's gonna take a little longer than we thought." "You are all right ?" "Yeah." "I've asked myself, Lisa, if I could do for anyone... what you and Sam and Terry and Lesra have done for me, and the answer is no." "So, if you feel like you need to go home for any reason," "I'll understand." "No, you've gotta understand we're not-- we're not leaving without you." "All right ?" "And we're gonna find something." "Um, well, I found something, a fellow by the name of Barbieri." "He's a private investigator." "Prosecution hired him in the second trial." "Didn't he resign from the case or something ?" "He quit and turned in his murder book and crime-scene photos, list of evidence, but no notes." "Anyone talk to him ?" "Myron tracked him down." "What'd he say ?" "Nothin'." "He was scared." "Of whom ?" "Of the people he was workin ' with." "[ Knocking ]" "Mrs. Barbieri ?" "Miss." "Hello." "Uh, is Mr. Barbieri in ?" "There isn't any mister." "Uh, Dominick, Dominick Barbieri ?" "That was my father." "He passed away years ago." "Wow." "Maybe you oughta have a yard sale." "That case always bothered my father." "He never talked about it." "He said he had to live in this town." "Yeah." "Any idea where his notes might be ?" "Well, if he kept them at all, they'd be in one of those boxes." "Guy was a pack rat." "He must have saved every case he ever worked on." "Wait, wait, wait, wait." "What ?" "I found it." "Look at this." "Look." "What ?" "He kept a damn diary." "Oh, look." "Who would have thought he'd put it in a diary ?" "Look at this." "There." "A call was placed to an emergency operator named Jean Wahl... at 2:28 a.m. to report the shooting." "At 2:28 ?" "That's right." "She then calls the cops to tell them." "They say they already know about it." "In fact, they've got a cruiser on its way over to the Lafayette at that moment." "Oh, my God." "Yes." "According to Barbieri," ""time on the record of customer contact was changed... from 2:28 to 2:45."" "Yes." "Son of a bitch." "Which, if true, puts John Artis and myself at the Nite Spot... at the time of the killings." "Well, if we can prove she got the call at 2:28." "We'll prove it." "We can prove it." "Mrs. Wahl ?" "Hi." "My name is Sam Chaiton." "We spoke on the phone about the Rubin Carter case." "I told you, I don't want to talk to you." "Mrs. Wahl, please, um, you told an investigator named Barbieri... that an emergency call you took the night of the Lafayette bar murders was at 2:28." "I don't know what I told him." "It was a long time ago." "Uh, but there's a card that says 2:45 on it, and, uh, you didn't sign the card." "According to Barbieri, it was signed by a Miss Lenore Harkinson." "[ Sighs ] She was my supervisor." "Why would your supervisor sign the card ?" "Wouldn't you do that yourself?" "Look, if there's a card and that's what it says, then that's what it says." "I don't remember anything else, and if someone tries to make me testify, that's what I'll say." "Uh, look, Mrs. Wahl" "Thank you." "So this is a copy of the phone company's record of customer contact." "It's all there, just like Barbieri said." "2:45." "Hmm." "[Terry] Look at the signature on the card." "It's signed by Lenore Harkinson, Jean Wahl's supervisor." "Does that mean anything to you ?" "It means she didn't have to write up a phoney ticket." "What ?" "He signed it himself." "[Lisa ] Who ?" "His handwriting is on every report... that put me in prison since I was 11 years old." "It's Della Pesca." "It's his handwriting." "[Thud] [ Gasps ]" " Oh, shit !" "What's happening ?" " What the hell is that ?" "[ Tires Squealing ]" "[Lesra ] Oh, shit !" "[Sam] Hold on !" "[ Groaning ]" "You all right ?" "Yeah." "[Sam] Lesra, you okay ?" "[Lesra ] I'm all right." "Are you all right ?" "Yeah ?" "I think so." "Damn." "Yeah ?" "Shit." "[Man] Hey, you okay ?" "What the fuck was that ?" "Need help ?" "We're okay." "Thanks." "Are they all right ?" "Goddamn." "[ Men Talking ]" "[Man] Hey, let's go !" "[Truck Horn Blast] [Car Horns Honking]" "The law states we have to take our new evidence back to the original trial judge, and then if he turns us down, we go to the state appeals court" "No." "No." "No." "No." "Listen to me." "These people aren't gonna just let that happen." "They've made their careers on my case." "What are you talking about ?" "I'm talking about lawyers, prosecutors, judges... who have moved up the ladder on my black back." "We don't know what enemies we have out there in this state." "We gotta take it out of New Jersey and take it to the federal court." "Rubin, if you go into federal court... with new evidence that hasn't been heard in the state court, the judge is gonna throw it out." "Okay ?" "That is the law." "Then we transcend the law." "We" " We get back to humanity." "You said if we take the new evidence before the federal judge, he's gotta look at it before he throws it out, right ?" "Right." "I believe that once he looks at it, he will have seen the truth." "Having seen the truth, he can't turn his back on me." "And what if you're wrong and he does turn away ?" "Then what ?" "Then you throw out all this evidence that everyone's fought to get." "And you know what, Rubin ?" "You will never be able to mention it in a court again." "It is finished." "It's erased." "It's as if it never happened." "This evidence is the key to getting you out of here, and you'll be throwing it away, Rubin." "When in a few more years-- I don't have a few more years, Myron." "Leon, help me out." "I can't." "I agree with Rubin." "It's time to move on." "Move on ?" "What do you mean ?" "Move on where ?" "The State's biased." "We're never gonna get anything there." "We have to go federal." "We can't take the risk of going federal with this." "Listen to me." "I'm 50 years old." "I've been locked up for 30 years." "I've put a lot of good people's lives at risk." "Now, either I get outta here" "Get me outta here." "Ready ?" "Good luck, Rubin." "This is for you." "You stay strong." "[ Whispers ] As-Salaam-Alaikum." "[ Whispers ] Alaikum-Salaam." "Good luck." "[Man] Peace, baby." "Be cool now." "Good luck, Mr. Carter." "Rubin." "Rubin Carter, prisoner 45472." "See ya around." "Okay, Jimmy." "[Beldock] Your Honor, we appear before you... in our 19th year before the courts." "Rubin Carter has never enjoyed a full, fair... and unforced disclosure of the facts to which he is constitutionally entitled." "For 19 years, the truth has been hidden.... not only from Rubin Carter's eyes, but from the eyes of justice itself." "Your Honor, the prosecution objects forcefully here." "Counsel is attempting to present new evidence... and circumvent the State Court of New Jersey." "Your Honor must, according to the law, drop this entire petition where it belongs-- into the garbage." "Your Honor, we implore you to at least hear us before making your ruling." "Mr. Beldock, I hope you understand... the implications of your action." "That is a very slippery slope... you're trying to climb." "We do, Your Honor." "Proceed." "ln 1976, the State of New Jersey's... chief investigator of this case, Dominick Barbieri, resigned... because he discovered the truth." "He discovered that this case was built... on a foundation of forgeries and lies." "Those lies show the guilt not of Rubin Carter, but of a corrupt police force and the prosecutor's office." "[ Spectators Murmuring ]" "And now, this wall of lies has been destroyed, so that this court may finally see the truth, and, pray God, not turn its eyes away." "This court is not unmoved by your... eloquence and passion, but the prosecution is correct." "This petition contains new evidence... that has not been presented before the State Court of New Jersey, and there is no legal argument that you could make... which would allow me to consider it." "Therefore, you have two choices before you.." "I can send this case back to the state court... and you can present the evidence;" "or... if you insist on proceeding, this evidence will be lost to you forever." "[ Spectators Murmuring ]" "You understandthe choice before you, Mr. Beldock ?" "Your Honor, may I request a moment to confer with my client ?" "That's the smartest thing you've said all morning, Counselor." "Rubin, listen to me." "This judge is telling us as clearly as he possibly can... that he's going to rule against you." "This is our last stand, Myron." "Rubin, I am begging you" "Let's proceed." "[ Whispering ]" "Your Honor, my client wishes to continue with this proceeding." "Uh, do you do so formally, and, uh, are you aware of the significance... of such an action ?" "We do so formally." "Proceed." "But, Your Honor" "Yes ?" "The State is not prepared to argue the merits of this case." "Why not ?" "Well, we assumed... that the Court would not hear this petition based on new evidence." "You assumed wrong." "[ Chatter, Laughter ]" "Proceed." "So, Your Honor, this case was poisoned from the start." "No evidence." "No witnesses, except admitted liars." "Only a racially charged atmosphere, which was fanned by the police and the prosecutors... who knew the truth and distorted it... and subverted it and destroyed it... to convict an innocent man." "What more can the State of New Jersey do, Your Honor, than give a man not one, but two jury trials ?" "And nothing has changed since then." "Mr. Carteris, and always has been, a menace to society." "He's been in and out of jail his whole life." "A criminal." "He's a violent man." "His whole life has been violence." "And it is our duty, Your Honor, to continue to protect the general public from such a man." "Thank you." "I've heard your statements." "I'll take them under consideration." "Now, is there anything else that counsel wishes to add... before I make my final ruling ?" "What are you doing ?" "I wanna say something." "What are you gonna say ?" "I wanna-- I need to say something." "Your Honor, my-- my client," "Mr. Carter, wishes to address the Court." "Request granted." "Thank you, Your Honor." "I was a, um, prizefighter." "My job was to... take all the hatred... and skill that I could muster, and send a man to his destruction." "And I did that." "But Rubin "Hurricane" Carter is no murderer." "Twenty years I've spent locked up in a cage... considered a danger to society." "Not treated like a human being." "Not treated like a person." "Counted 15 times a day." "I serve my time in a house of justice, and yet, there's no justice for me." "So, I ask you... to consider the evidence." "Don't turn away from the truth." "Don't turn away from your conscience." "Please, don't ignore the law." "No, embrace that higher principle... for which the law was meant to serve." "Justice." "That's all I ask for, Your Honor." "Justice." "This court is in recess." "Oh, thank you." "It's good." "Come a long way, huh, little brother ?" "Yeah." "Look, I just want you to know if this doesn't work, I'm bustin' you out of here." "You are ?" "Yeah." "That's right." "I'm bustin' you outta here." "What was the first book you ever bought ?" "Yours." "Hmm." "You think that was an accident ?" "No." "No, me neither." "Lesra, short for Lazarus." ""He who is risen from the dead."" "Rubin." "Genesis, chapter 29, verse 32." ""Behold a son."" "You put those two together, Lesra, and you have," ""Behold a son who has risen... from the dead."" "That's no accident." "Hate put me in prison." "Love's gonna bust me out." "Just in case love doesn't, I'm gonna bust you outta here." "Yeah." "You already have, Lesra." "All rise." "This Federal District Court of New Jersey is now in session," "Judge Sarokin presiding." "Be seated." "This court does not arrive at its conclusion lightly." "On one hand, Rubin Carter has submitted a document... alleging racial prejudice, coercion of testimony and withholding of evidence." "On the other hand," "Mr. Carter was tried twice... by two different juries, and those convictions were subsequently upheld... by the New Jersey State Supreme Court." "He's gonna rule against us." "Rubin's gonna lose." "However, the extensive record... clearly demonstrates to this court... that Rubin Carter's conviction... was predicated upon an appeal to racism... rather than reason... and concealment... rather than disclosure." "To permit convictions to stand... which have as their sole foundation... appeals to racial prejudice, is to commit a violation... of the Constitution... as heinous as the crimes for which the defendants... were tried and convicted." "I here by order Rubin Carter... released from prison... henceforth, from this day forward." "Whoo !" "[GavelBangs] This court is adjourned." "Rube, you made it, man." "You're free." "Can you stand it ?" "You did it, Rube." "You did it, man." "Whoo-hoo-hoo !" "[Man On P.A. ] Rubin Carter has just been freed." "[Man] All right!" "You're free, Rubin !" "[Man] Mr. Carter, how do you feel?" "[Man] Mr. Carter?" "Mr. Carter?" "Mr. Carter ?" "Now that you're out, are you still gonna be the Hurricane ?" "Oh, I'll always be the Hurricane." "And the Hurricane is beautiful." "[Bell Rings]" "[Announcer] This is unbelievable !" "The crowd is going wild." "Everybody wanted this victory, and Hurricane has delivered." "Yes, that's the story of the Hurricane" "But it won't be over till they clear his name" "And give him back the time he's done" "Put in a prison cell but one time" "He could have been the champion of the world" "[Crowd Cheering]"