In the movie, The Hurricane, based on real events, Denzel Washington plays boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a man whose dreams of winning the title were destroyed when he was arrested and convicted for the 1966 murders of three people. Carter, serving three natural life terms, channels his frustration and despair by writing an autobiography from his cell.

Seven years after the book is published, an alienated black youth named Lezara is being taught to read by three white mentors who have taken him into their Toronto home. One of his three friends takes him to a used book sale, where he picks up Carter's book. Lezara asks, "How do you know which book to pick?"

His friend wisely answers, "Sometimes we don't pick the books we read. They pick us."

Lezara finds purpose and inspiration in Carter's story and begins writing to Hurricane. A mentoring relationship develops, and eventually Lezara's friends take up Carter's cause and vow to fight for his release from prison. Carter, at first skeptical of Lezara's white friends, is eventually won over by their compassionate dedication. He later tells Lezara, "Hate put me in prison. Love is gonna bust me out."

His 20-year fight for justice ends in triumphant freedom, and he celebrates the victory with his "little brother," the young man inspired by his book. Toward the end of the movie, while waiting for the judge's ruling, Hurricane asks young Lezara, "What was the first book you ever bought?"

"Yours," he answers.

"Do you think that was an accident?" Hurricane asks.

"No."

At that moment, young Lezara was no doubt thinking back to the words of his mentor: "Some books pick us."

The Bible is such a book. You can't read it without getting the sense that it picked you, that the Author had you in mind as he wrote.

Elapsed time: Begin at "Universal Pictures and Beacon Pictures Present." Scene 1: Lezara buys the book: 13:53 to 14:34. Scene 2: "Sometimes we don't pick the books we read. They pick us"; 14:45 to 15:16. Scene 3: Hurricane asks Lezara, "What was the first book you ever bought?" 2:12:02 to 2:14:00.

Content: Rated R because of some profanity and brief but extreme violence.