Men Of Honor is the respectful and inspirational story of Carl Brashear, who overcame obstacle after obstacle to become the first black diver in the Navy, eventually rising to the highest diver rank, Master Chief. Brashear (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) fought to overcome the stereotypes associated with black sailors to achieve his goals. In an early scene, we see Carl as a boy, diving in the water by his Kentucky home, enjoying himself and setting the groundwork for his pursuit, which is encouraged by his sharecropper father. Even though he entered the Navy the same year President Truman integrated the Armed Forces, Brashear discovered integration was easier said than done. On an early ship assignment, he was assigned to the cooking detail, along with fellow black sailors. The only way he could bring attention to his swimming ability was by swimming with the white sailors on a break, who, of course, took exception. The stunt landed him in the brig, but it also convinced the ship's captain, Pullman (Powers Boothe) to put through Brashear's request to attend diving school in New Jersey.
The school is run by the embittered, tempramental Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert DeNiro), who is no longer able to dive himself after he risked his life to save a fellow diver in trouble. He, too, is typical of the Naval attitude, trying to make life as difficult as he can for this student. Only one other sailor, Snowhill (Michael Rapaport), is willing to share a barracks with him. The tactics do not deter Brashear, but he needs help with the academic part of his training, as his schooling ended after seventh grade. He goes to a Harlem library, where he finds a tutor named Jo (Aunjanue Ellis), who is the daughter of a sailor who's been exposed to the negative side of naval personnel. She demands complete cooperation from Carl, as she deems her time valuable - and it is, given she's studying to be a doctor. Carl's test scores improve, and he takes a liking to his teacher, who eventually becomes his wife.
Sunday, slowly but surely, begins to admire Brashear. As the diving students prepare for the final, Sunday gets the order from the base commander, Mr. Pappy (Hal Holbrook) to do whatever it takes to ensure that Brashear fails. Sunday has told these men that they, in essence, are salvagers, and their final is to salvage and repair a piece of equipment in the water. One by one, the divers call for their tool kits, and get them immediately. When Brashear does, not only is there a delay, but Mr. Pappy has ordered sabotage against Brashear. Hours after the others successfully complete their missions, Carl remains in the water, finishing his assignment. Just as Sunday calls for the others to bring up Carl, who by now is feeling the effects of hypothermia, he finishes the mission correctly. Sunday has no choice but to pass the man.
As much as he may remind his diving students that their pursuit is one of toil, he clearly misses the opportunity to do it. One night, at a bar the sailors frequent, Sunday and Brashear get into an argument over who's better at holding their breath. The bar has diving helmets, rigged so they can be filled with water. The men hold their breaths until Sunday's nose starts to bleed. The bar becomes a refuge for Billy, who is often met there by his lovely, but lonely, wife, Gwen (Charlize Theron). Billy has never come to grips with sharing his loss with Gwen, so she takes the moments she can get with him.
Time takes Sunday and Brashear in different directions. Sunday has become drunken, disorderly, and insubordinate, so he loses rank. In the movie's opening, Sunday is in the custody of the Shore Patrol as the result of a Sunday bender. As they await their transport, Sunday is watching a TV account of an incident where Navy divers, including Brashear, have been dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea to retrieve some nuclear weapons lost in the sea. A handcuffed Sunday is still able to overpower the officers who are charged with returning him to base while he watches the coverage of the incident. After the weapon is retrieved, Brashear is severely injured in an on deck accident.
This sets the stage for their reunion. At the urging of Gwen, Billy works on his sobriety. With a leg so badly injured he can no longer dive, Carl has opted for amputation rather than retirement, and goes into rehab to face yet another challenge from the Navy brass. With Billy's help and support, he goes into a hearing, prepared to make his case for reinstatement in the diving corps.
Men Of Honor doesn't offer any surprises or spectacular stunts, but it is a solid, pleasing film. It's simply a picture that tells a tale worth telling. There isn't a single ordinary performance in the bunch, and DeNiro and Gooding are in Oscar form. Sunday and Brashear are two angry men who find different ways to express their rage. DeNiro's Sunday does it openly by both word and deed. Gooding's Brashear internalizes all the negatives and turns them into positives. It's a welcome return to familiar territory for DeNiro, who has shown top skill in playing conflicted characters like Sunday. Gooding delivers energy to every scene, even though his part requires him to externalize little emotion. Men Of Honor is George Tillman, Jr's., well done follow-up to the pleasant Soul Food. Tillman follows one good moment with another throughout the film, and saves the best moment for last. The combination of Tillman's direction and Scott Marshall Smith's screenplay present a reverential portrait of two men who find common ground through diving and adversity.
Men Of Honor shows that a military film doesn't need superhuman characters and big effects to be entertaining, like in this summer's epics The Patriot and Gladiator. Sometimes the biggest military battles don't take place in the theater of war. They are fought in the field of human endeavor. Men Of Honor is a more satisfying tale than this summer's blockbusters, and it has much more to say. It's a real history lesson about two men who paved the way for others by example and by overcoming obstacles in their path. Carl Brashear and Billy Sunday are real men of honor, and this film is a tribute to their indomitable spirits.
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