Directed by George Tillman, Jr. Starring: Robert DeNiro, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Charlize Thereon, Powers Boothe, Aunjanue Ellis, Hal Holbrook,David Keith, Michael Rapaport, Carl Lumbly, Lonette McKee. Drama/Biographical/Historical. Synopsis: The story of Carl Brashear, who enlisted in the Navy as a teen shortly after World War II and rose up through the ranks to become the first African-American Navy diver, Master Chief Diver, and also the first amputee to serve in that capacity. Anytime you have a story that focuses on the true life triumph of the human spirit and shows the kind of determination that makes the impossible possible, you have a good chance for a good flick. Its not a given though, the film still has to be well acted and directed. Men Of Honor is well directed, and when you throw in a cast with multiple Oscar winners, past and future, the recipe for success is complete.
Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Wrong Turn At Tahoe) plays Carl Brashear, Jr., a man who came from the fields of Kentucky, enlised in the Navy in the post WW-II years, and was determined to better himself in all ways through his time in the service. He had an indomitable spirit and never quit attitude, which he got from his parents (Lonette McKee Jungle Fever Carl Lumbly Pacific Heights The Alphabet Killer) in general and his father in particular.
As some may know, the Navy and its department (U.S. Marine Corps) were likely the most inhospitable branches of the service to African Americans in the post WWII, pre-Civil Rights era and that is portrayed vividly throughout this film, with one memorable scene being where Carl decides to jump in the Pacific for a swim on a day when only whites were allowed off the ship and into the ocean. Of course, he is pursued but swims so fast he beats everyone to the buoy. After landing in the brig, his speed in the water leads the ship's Captain (Powers Boothe Southern Comfort Sin City) to make him one of the ship's rescue swimmers an unprecedented position for an African American. Brashear quickly decides his ultimate goal in the Navy is to become a Navy diver after seeing the rescue heroics of one such Master Chief Diver, Leslie Sunday (Robert DeNiro Casino Limitless), an elite position that, at that point in time.
And, through the magic of creative license, when Brashear finally is accepted at diving school, guess who his class instructor is? Give yourself a pat on the back if you said Chief Sunday who is, lets just say, less than enthusiastic to have an African American diving student in his course.
Brashear's time in the diving school is the heart of the film, as Tillman does a good job of making clear the hurdles he faced, not only because of racism, but due to his severe lack of education. We do have some stereotypical characters, likely composite characters like Deniro's Chief Sunday, but that does not mean they aren't effective. Michael Rapaport (Grilled) plays Snowhill, the 'liberal' sailor who offsets the bigotry and prejudice Carl experiences in diving school by befriending Carl and being the only sailor to stay in the barracks when the rest are urged to move out by Sunday.
Also standing out in a smaller role is the legendary Hal Holbrook (Magnum Force) as 'Mr. Pappy', the outwardly bigoted and near senile Commander assigned to the diving school whose distaste for Carl remains steadfast even as those around Carl, including Sunday, begin to soften with appreciation of Carl's work ethic and courage.
Neither Brashear nor his chief protagonist, Sunday, are shown one dimensionally, they both have love interests, Carl has his future wife (Aunjanue Ellis Freedomland) and Sunday has a much younger wife, Charlize Thereon (North Country) who is both the enabler and possible hope for his drinking problems. Its not a huge role for Thereon, but she knocks it out of the park, as does Ellis, an actress whom I've long thought was an underappreciated talent.
The film follows Carl's career in the Navy, going directly from his trying time in diving school to his assignment as a diver on a ship in which he becomes a national hero by recovering a lost Russian explosive from the bottom of the sea, and then tragically suffers a serious injury to his leg shortly thereafter which seems to put the end to his diving career. But, Carl demands his leg be completely amputated so a prosthetic can be attached so that he might continue his career. The reluctance of the Navy and the reemergence of Sunday into Carl's life mark the second portion of the film. Its hard to be a Navy diver with two legs, to see Brashear do it with one is nothing less than inspiring.
As with any great film, there are several iconic scenes, the standouts for me being the bar room challenge between Brashear and Sunday to see who could hold his breath the longest, with the stakes being Carl's spot in the diving school versus the readmittance to diving school of Carl's buddy Snowhill (I read an interview with the real Carl Brashear in which he said the scene was true, except they did not use the water filled apparatus shown in the film, but merely dunked their heads into fish tanks); Carl's final test in diving school in which there were deliberate steps taken to ensure his failure and he remained underwater for twenty hours until his task was complete; and the stirring finale, when Brashear, with Sunday as his coach, demonstrates his physical prowess with his prosthetic leg before a high ranking Naval board.
The film follows 20 + years of Brashear's life and Gooding is believable both as the teen aged character and as a 40 year old navy veteran. With all due respect to his Oscar winning peformance in Jerry Maguire , to me this is his outstanding peformance to date. As for DeNiro, what can I say that hasn't been said? Incredible as Chief Sunday.
Understand this genre, though it shows both the ugly side and honor in our military, its not a military movie per se , but the story of an incredible man who happened to live his life in the service.
Great story, great acting, great film.
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