MEN OF HONOR
There are three good reasons to see "Men of Honor" - Cuba Gooding Jr.! Cuba Gooding Jr.! and Cuba Gooding Jr.!; First, as the youthful spirited real life Carl Brashear fighting racial prejudice to become the first Black deep sea diver in the United States Navy; then as the older accomplished and heroic Carl Brashear scouring the ocean floor to save the world from nuclear disaster; and finally as the outspoken physically rehabilitated Master Diver Carl Brashear who must overcome another kind of prejudice so he can live out his productive years on the job with honor. Cuba ages gracefully on screen with a nuance of character that goes beyond makeup to show the passage of time. He may have won an Oscar for his over the top role as a cocky football player in "Jerry Maguire" but his performance in "Men of Honor" fulfills the promise of "Boyz’n the Hood." If only the rest of the movie kept pace with the quality of Cuba’s performance which ranks with the best of the year!
"Men of Honor" sticks to its formula biopic plot without missing a beat. Formulas are okay, as long as the parts are fleshed out and the performers bring conviction to their roles. Robert De Niro fulfills his part of the bargain as Brashear’s idol-cum-nemesis-cum-savior and World War II hero Billy Sunday who grows to admire Barshear’s courage and ability while training him and other raw recruits at the Navy’s diving school. He too, puts the honor of the Navy above personal bias. Their tete-a-tete gives the movie it’s source of conflict and resolution that drives the men to their destinies. The movie fails miserably when the women in their lives take to the screen. Charlize Theron brings Gwen Sunday to life, but she is depicted as a society dame who stepped down in class to marry the bellicose foul mouthed dirt poor, Billy Sunday. You never find out what they ever saw in each other. On the other side of the coin, the attraction between Brashear and his wife Jo (Aunjanue Ellis) is dramatized by a few over the top scenes that is only matched by the director’s inability to mold Ellis’s uneven performance to match Cuba’s underplaying. The women’s roles are both used, unsuccessfully, to add dimension and contrast to the men’s professional lives.
To wit: A Master Diver is a deep sea diver who specializes in salvage, and rescue operations in hazardous waters. A pressurized diving suit that weighs just under three hundred pounds is the uniform of the day. One mistake, like holding one’s breath too long on the way to the surface could burst the lungs. It’s a no-nonsense job with little margin for error. As long as the story sticks to its story of men under pressure from their superiors and the elements, and the personal triumphs of the real life Carl Brashear, "Men of Honor" is downright inspirational!
Here’s a few video pix with racial themes and the military directed by Mark Robson
"Home of the Brave" (1949) - James Edwards plays a GI who comes home from WWII with as many psychological scars from abuse from the White soldiers as he does from the enemy. This adaptation of Arthur Laurents’ play was hailed as a breakthrough when first released. With Lloyd Bridges and Frank Lovejoy.
"Bright Victory" (1951) - Arthur Kennedy is a blind GI who learns to deal with his own racial prejudice when he learns he has befriended a fellow blind soldier played, once again by James Edwards, who turns out to be Black.
Three more films about military men who learn to overcome their physical handicap.
"The Wings of Eagles" (1957) - John Wayne plays real life naval aviation pioneer, "Spig" Wead who becomes paralyzed by a freak accident after surviving numerous air mishaps that include crashing his plane at a lawn party. The real Wead penned the classic "They Were Expendable" (1945) for this film’s director, John Ford. With Maureen O’Hara and Ward Bond.
"Pride of the Marines" (1945) - True story of blinded WWII vet Al Schmid’s adjustment to civilian life with the help of the people who love hi. John Garfield is terrific as Schmid
"The Men" (1950) - Marlon Brando’s film debut as an ex GI destined to spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair. Fred Zinneman directed it and Carl Foreman ("Guns of Navarone" (1961) and "The Victors" from 1963) wrote it.