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Men Of Honour [2001]


RRP: £17.99
Our Price: £1.99 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Originally, Men of Honour was simply called Navy Diver and no doubt all involved held high hopes that it would be an award-winning biopic. Unfortunately, Carl Brashear's life as the first African-American Master Diver went through that vaguely distasteful contemporary Hollywood Marketing makeover and the result is not quite so worthy of its subject and intentions. The film's hopelessly clichéd tagline reads, "History is made by those who break the rules"; the direction is shot through with sunsets 'n' slow-mo; and the script is peppered with foreshadowing dialogue ("don't end up like me son").

The plot devices follow a predictable arc: family poverty, a swiftly sweet romance, a shock accident, court hearing and, naturally, a grisly antagonist. It's with the last of these that the movie comes to life. We may have seen DeNiro spit nails countless times before, but his saltily intractable Master Chief is a terrific screen creation. Next to him, Cuba Gooding Jr really does shine as the endlessly persecuted Brashear. All-too brief cameos from Charlise Theron and Michael Rapaport lend sparkle too. But the film's message about how social attitudes toward race have changed is lost in a murky haze of Hollywoodisation. As one character declares, "some things just don't mix".

On the DVD: Men of Honour on disc underlines the Hollywood marketing message by including the Music Video ("Win" by Brian McKnight) used to promote the film among the extras. A commentary from director George Tillmann Jr, Cuba Gooding Jr ("this is my Rocky"), writer Scott Marshall Smith and Producer Robert Teitel is crammed with anecdote and explanation. Twelve deleted scenes include an alternative ending dropped thanks to that Tinsel-Town makeover, and the commentary continues for this plus three minutes of storyboards and animatics. There's also a 13-minute HBO featurette on the film's making, a half-hearted five-minute mini-documentary in tribute of Brashear, a trailer and two TV spots. This transfer itself is pristine in 5.1 surround and 2:35.1 ratio. --Paul Tonks


An OK film
Review date: 2008-11-19 Rating: 6 out of 10

I'm not sure I rate this film as highly as some others. For me a 5 star film is really good and watchable again. This film is good viewing the first time but is fairly predictable and is not going to be a film to put in the DVD player repeatably. At £ 3 though it's worth a buy.

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Reviews


Beyond racial equality
Review date: 2008-06-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

An essential film on the history of the US Navy and the integration of the first blacks ... in the kitchens, and then the integration of the first Black as deck personnel and later as US Navy Diver. It was not easy. But we must note that the dedication on the sleeves of the DVD is absurd. It says "History is made by those who break the rules." In fact the ostracism against this first Black diver goes against the rules that come from the Commander in Chief, the President of the US who ordered the integration of US armed forces. In fact some officers who are living in their racist traditions can actually give an order to drown the black diver and this black diver is graduated because the training officer decides to disobey the order from this commanding officer because it goes against his code of honor for which all US soldiers, sailors or pilots or whatever are equal in front of the flag, the national duty and the constitution. History in this case is made by those who decide to disobey orders from bigot officers, in other words to abide by the real constitutional rules. The film is slightly romantic in a way when it shows how this Black man is really doing more than his share of good and courageous acts and is often side-tracked and rejected, even for a medal he actually deserves that is yet given to some other white diver. Effective in its emotionality but yet only emphasizing the human side of things and not the political back-side of them. It sure cracks down on the Washington pencil-pushing bureaucrats who write the rules and regulations of US armed forces though they hardly know what real field courage can be because they never had, nor looked for, the opportunity to meet with a death-bringing mission. It is true that today the racial problem is no longer so much to be accepted when Black as to be respected as having the same stamina, courage and spiritual force as the whites or any human being, in other words we are no longer dealing with tolerating them with a smile but with accepting them as being equal, hence as having the possibility to be better. From toleration to possible superiority.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines


Never quit......be the best
Review date: 2007-03-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

True story about Navy diver Carl Brashear [Cuba Gooding jnr] and his determination to be the best diver in the elite division despite the constant obstacles put in his way by training officer Billy Sunday [De Niro].
Brashear refuses to quit and eventualy a mutal respect is formed with Sunday that sees them ultimately battling alongside each other.
Great performances here by De Niro and Gooding in particular that leaves you with the feeling that anything is possible if you want it badly enough.


Men Of Honour
Review date: 2006-04-23 Rating: 8 out of 10

I'm always a little wary of film that are "based on a true story" as it's usually the case the film makers are more than happy to take more than a few liberties to make the film more exciting, more adventurous or more captivating. "Men of Honour" tells the "true" story of Carl Brashear who was the first black American to become a qualified US Navy diver and more than that, to rise to the top of his rank structure after a career threatening injury that ended with the amputation of half of his leg.

The story begins in the late 1940's and although the US Navy is now supposedly unsegregated, in reality and black recruits are destined for a career as a cook or officer's valets. Carl Brashear is cut from different cloth however and after watching the on-board heroics of a master diver called Billy Sunday he vows to enroll for the next diving course. Although he is given his chance the ingrained racial prejudices of both the officers and men look set to give Brashear a very rough ride. By a wicked turn of fate Brashear's instructor for the course is Billy Sunday and this tough grizzled old sea dog is as opposed as anyone in letting a black man pass the course.

I don't want to reveal any more of the plot as it should be discovered by the viewer but suffice it to say that the institutionalized racism that blights the Navy at this point in time throws every obstacle imaginable at Brashers and some more besides.

Cuba Gooding Jr can always be relied on for an energetic and wholehearted performance and although he tones the high octane acting down here his charm and decency puts the viewer firmly on Brashers side for the whole of the film. Robert de Niro plays the caustic and unforgiving Chief Sunday as only he can. The character is a real nasty piece of work and although he works out his own redemption by the end of the film de Niro keeps the viewer totally engaged throughout the character's good and bad times.

The film does have to be criticised for the wholly unnecessary "Hollywood" ending which even the most gullible watcher must question for its authenticity. Quite way the filmmaker felt it necessary to belittle everything that had gone before it with this scene of overacted smaltz is beyond me but I guess somewhere there's a market for it.

The rest of the film though is an engaging and sometimes bewildering look at navy service life and probably acts as a suitable social commentary on the attitudes and prejudices of the day.



great film
Review date: 2006-03-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

When this film first came out, I wasn't really bothered about seeing it but since I saw it with my friend a few months ago, I just had to buy it!
A truly inspirational film both in terms of acting and content. Cuba Gooding Junior and DeNiro both do a fantastic job, showing why they are two of the most sought after actors in the industry. As for the content, the synopsis on the back of the DVD doesn't do it justice. For those of you who haven't seen the film, I won't ruin the twist but it is completely unexpected the first time you watch it. The fact that the events are based on the true story of Carl Bashear makes it even more impressive.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that this film has changed my life but it has that potential as one of my fellow reviewers has shown. Good for you mate!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Aunjanue Ellis
Hal Holbrook
Charlize Theron
Robert De Niro
Cuba Gooding Jr.

Creators:
Cuba Gooding Jr. (Primary Contributor)
Robert De Niro (Primary Contributor)
Anthony B. Richmond (Cinematographer)
Dirk Westervelt (Editor)
Bill Badalato (Producer)
Bill Cosby (Producer)
Robert Teitel (Producer)
Stan Robertson (Producer)
Scott Marshall Smith (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036008259
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2002-01-21
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 123 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2000-11-10
Language: Czech (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Hebrew (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: Icelandic (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: Portuguese (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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