Hurricane Streets

(MGM)

Morgan J. Freeman's film, which took home the director and audience awards last year at Sundance, has Marcus (Brendan Sexton III) as an adolescent petty thief with a mother in jail, no father, and a group of multi-racial pals rapidly heading down the wrong road. Then he meets the sweet Melena (Isidra Vega), who challenges him to face his demons. The movie could easily have collapsed into melodrama, but Freeman saves it with a suspenseful (if somewhat unbelievable) conclusion and a cool, in-touch sense of humor.