Men of Honor

Familiar but triumphant true story set in the 1950s about a man and his determination to defy the odds. Gooding gives a rock solid performance as an ambitious Navy diver whose iron will leads him to fight discrimination and try to become the first ever colored master diver. Along the way he matches wits with—and eventually gains the respect of—his belligerent, hard-nosed superior (De Niro). Considering the film's definite Rocky formula you'll probably be a step ahead of the story at every turn, but it's well-directed, acted with such great conviction, and has a finale so powerful and moving that you almost have to go along for the ride. A compelling and gripping story of will and determination. ***

The inspiring story of Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), a black man who grew up in poverty in Kentucky and then joined the US Navy, aspiring to be the first black Master Diver in Navy history. We are shown the series of struggles from boyhood on that Brashear has to overcome to make his dream come true (and then to keep it alive.) Not the least of the challenges was Master Diver Bill Sunday (Robert DeNiro), the head trainer at the diving school the Navy sends Brashear to, who is not especially sympathetic to Brashear's goals, but who ultimately becomes an unlikely friend and supporter.

This is a good movie; fast paced and with a lot of action, although not an "action" pic in the normal sense of the word. There's a very human story here as well, and an interesting study of racism and the struggle to overcome it; there's also a sense of the struggle that took place in the 1960's between older and younger naval officers (the "old navy" vs the "new navy.") The performances are quite good - particularly Goodings'. I thought DeNiro was perhaps a bit over the top in his portrayal of Sunday (although, who knows, Sunday might well have been this extreme kind of loose cannon) and the portrayal of Sunday's wife Gwen (by Charlize Theron) also made me question whether these parts were "jazzed up" to provide entertainment value.

A good movie, though. I never once wondered if it was worth tuning into.

7/10

TIllman Jr.'s drama about the first African American Navy Master Diver (Gooding Jr.), who defies all odds and achieves his goals despite a strict embittered trainer. The screenplay is not bad, a bit extreme at times, but the direction and acting is first-rate, and this film is inspiring and achieves what its supposed to do. I liked DeNiro in the lead, although its not on par with his masterful works (taxi driver, godfather and all the others) it is as good as his other good performances such as in King of Comedy or Angel Heart. DeNiro is always convincing and believable here, very good performance, Gooding Jr. is not bad, definitely one of his better performances. --- IMDb Rating: 6.6, my rating: 9/10

This well-acted story of the end of segregation in the military is told through the true experiences of Carl Brashear. Ultimately it is a story of human honor and dignity triumphing over smallmindedness, bureaucracy, and prejudice. Some of the scenes are deliberate attempts at crowd-pleasing, but they are nevertheless effective.

A very powerful and emotive film with both Cuba Gooding Jnr and Robert De Niro excelling in their respective roles. One of my "Whisky films"........perfect to watch with a dram. Don't miss this one.