“Men of Honor,” the new Navy drama starring Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr., is based on events that occurred nearly a half-century ago.
Yet, it seems too good to be true, too proud and virtuous to be real, and too amazingly honorable and good-hearted to actually be based on the life of a Navy diver.
But it is.
And Carl Brashear, the son of a Kentucky sharecropper and probably one of the most determined individuals ever represented on the silver screen, proves that everything great shown in the film, from his “never quit” attitude to his constant attempts to overcome, is, in fact, nothing but truth.
The story, which was written by Scott Marshall Smith and based on the life of Brashear, follows his many steps to becoming everything he ever wanted. He goes from driving mules on his father’s land to cooking in the USS Hoist’s mess hall. But, for Brashear, this is not enough.
For more than two years, Brashear continually writes letters attempting to be the first black person to integrate the Navy’s Dive School. And, after his ambitions prove not to hinder his success, Brashear is accepted.
By this point in the story, Brashear comes across as an “all-go, no-quit” Navy man, one who knows that respect is something you earn, and he is doing everything he can to earn it. Playing the respectable role of Brashear is a respectable actor, Gooding (“Jerry Maguire,” “Instinct”).
Gooding’s performance is outstanding, rivaling even his role as Rod Tidwell in “Maguire.” There could not be a better Brashear, except maybe for the man himself.
The plot continues to follow Brashear once he arrives at the program, encountering his mostly hateful classmates and his training officer, Master Chief Billy Sunday, played by veteran actor De Niro.
Playing in what is probably one of the most interesting roles this year, De Niro is utterly amazing. Even after his success with his latest two comedy films, “Meet the Parents” and “Analyze This,” it is hard to think De Niro can be such a wide-ranging performer. De Niro is perfect.
The only quality this film possesses that may make the audience squirm a little is the extent of the story. It is long, involved, deep and most of all, concise.
Every character is developed, every question is answered, every emotion felt. And with an outstanding score by Mark Isham (“Varsity Blues,” “October Sky”), every good note is highlighted.
This film, which also stars Charlize Theron (“The Legend of Bagger Vance”), Joshua Leonard (“The Blair Witch Project”) and Michael Rapaport (“Higher Learning”), is undoubtedly one of the best this year, which should make executive producers Bill Cosby and Stanley Robertson proud of what they have accomplished.
And the fact that truth backs up every up and down of the script only makes the virtues - honor, inspiration, respect and dignity - ever more powerful. “Men of Honor” doesn’t lie in its title, and it never falters in its steps (even when wearing a 290-pound diving rig).
