Men of Honor (2006, DVD)

Men of Honor is a very fine movie that every American and lots of other people should see if they want to really understand America. It tells the story of Carl Brashears, a mentally and physically tough young black man who came into his own in the U.S. Navy in the 50's and 60's in America and who broke the color line in naval diving.

"Naval diving?" I can hear you thinking. "And THAT's supposed to make for an exciting movie? Thanks, but I'll go watch The Fast And The Furious one more time." Well, go ahead if you want to, but you'll miss the story of a lifetime. Carl Brashears' lifetime, anyway.

Few movies have moved me in the area of black/white racism like this movie. There is something about it that really penetrates you in that area about this movie that makes me, a white person think, "Wow! Just imagine what it was like to grow up in America as a black person in the '50's and'60s." I guarantee you that it's a lot better being in the 21st century. But back then, Carl Brashears fought the fight against the color barrier in a quiet, honorable way, and like the gentleman that he is, he won.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. plays Carl Brashears, of course, and he does a great job. He says he wanted this movie to be his "Rocky", and in many ways it is. But the gravitas of this movie is not really Cuba, but the Ace of Aces, Robert DeNiro himself. DeNiro cuts a superbly talented track through the movie as the devil-may-care Billy Sunday, Diver Instructor extraordinaire, who changes from disdainful of and insulting to Carl, to Carl's biggest fan. If the real Billy Sunday did indeed undergo such a transformation, it just gives you hope that when all else is said and done, that HONOR can triumph over loyalty and ambition, especially when that loyalty involves racism.

But Cuba does a great job even with the immense talent of DeNiro gobbling up emotional gravity like an event horizon.
In this lone black man's eyes we see determination and great control; courage under fire even in the ranks of his "comrades" time after time.

In another movie about courage, CHARIOTS OF FIRE, a young Jewish runner named Abrahams is the victim of anti-Semetic prejudice. He tells a friend he will gain the respect of the bigots by "running them off their feet," and he does. In MEN OF HONOR, Cuba/Carl does this too by out-diving and out-honoring his bigoted comrades until they are changed by his courage, honor, and determination into his fan club which will not even let The Brass "Keep the N.. Down."

I watched the DVD version because you get the extras where the cast and director, etc., as well as Carl Brashears, talk about the story and the movie from the inside. It was very good here, especially the words from Brashears. Seldom do you get to hear a real hero; here you do here...if you get the DVD.

Thus MEN OF HONOR is a testimonial that once again all persons on God's green earth or under God's blue sea are equal, and are family, and are here to do things as one, including something so unique as naval diving. Great movie.


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