Men Of Honor

Inspired by the life of Carl Brashear, Men Of Honor tells the courageous tale of an African American sailor (Gooding) who dared to dream of becoming a U.S. Navy Master Diver. Despite a ruthless training officer (De Niro) and a tragic shipboard accident, Carl's iron will is never broken. Against all odds, he pushes on to achieve the impossible.

Throughout the commentary Cuba Gooding reveals that he had never heard of Carl Brashear, and neither did I, or as I suspect many, many Americans. While it is a shame that we did not know of this man's achievements, I feel that the movie was unnecessary. The acting was over the top at times, and far too predictable at others. There were some scenes that were good, like the initial showdown in the bar between the two actors, but the rest of the movie we have seen time and time again. The best place for this kind of manipulative "inspirational" piece is best left to the the tv movie of the week genre, and not on the silver screen. The film was technically very good, and visually stirring, but the script was all two contrived and at times ham handed. What I did enjoy about the disc was the extra documentary with the real Carl Brashear, who is a formidable man who has achieved something know one ever had until he had come along. Too bad a better movie was not made about him.

While I did not enjoy the film, the acting was very good. I liked Cuba and DeNiro a lot in this film. I liked their chemistry and, as with Heat, I wish they were used differently together. (If you saw Heat you know what I mean). Cuba is a great younger actor, and you should view A Murder Of Crows, a small film with him as the star. I would rent this movie just for the acting that was done, and the documentary. Nothing more. The commentary was decent, and the anamorphic transfer was crisp and gave a very sharp picture.

                    Features 

                      "Win" Music Video By Brian McNight

                      Alternate Ending

                      Animated Storyboard

                     Commentary By Director George Tillman Jr., Cuba Gooding Jr.,  
                     and Producer Robert Teitel

                      Deleted Scenes

                      English 5.1 Surround

                      English Dolby Surround

                      English Subtitles

                      French Dolby Surround

                      Making Of Featurette

                      Master Chief: A Tribute To Carl Brashear Documentary

                      Spanish Subtitles

                      Theatrical Trailer And TV Spots

C's Final Word - Aiight (worth a rental)

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