Men of Honor: Special Edition

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Director: George Tillman, Jr.

Rating: R

Review Posted: 5.7.01

DVD Rating: 8/10

By Dennis Landmann

Ever since I heard about this movie I really wanted to see it. I first became to know it as Navy Diver, but as time passed it was changed to Men of Honor. Now that's the kind of title that identifies this movie. The sad thing, however, is that when it rolled into theatres, I didn't even have the chance to go see it. What a shame. Now on DVD, it's probably a whole lot better. Let's break it down.

The movie starts off sometime in the middle and dissolves to the young Carl Brashear running to a lake. Right when he jumps into the water, you know he's got a thing for it. Many years later, Carl is a young man (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). He joins the Navy and hopes of success. First job he gets is on the U.S.S. Hoist as a cook. Carl later catches a glimpse of Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert DeNiro), a very good deep salvage diver. This sparks Carl's love for diving. He eventually became Master Chief, but before that he had to endure racial hardships throughout his career. Even losing his leg didn't make him give up on things. Carl Brashear was the first African-American Navy Diver and this movie tells his story.

Cuba Gooding Jr. reports for duty.

Men of Honor is a movie with a big scope. It starts in the early years and ends in the later years. Its life span is long. George Tillman Jr. really did a great job on directing this real life story. The movie works well because of the great performances, skilful directing, and careful writing. Men of Honor doesn't make the racial exploits seem too contrived or over the top. Sure, Carl Brashear had to endue a lot of it. Reporting for diving school, nobody accepted him because of his color, except Snowhill (Michael Rapaport), a stuttering and shy Wisconsin boy. Carl was failing his tests, and since he only had seven years of education, he asked a young librarian to help him with studies. They got married later on.

Sunday, a former master diver whose injured lung has left him permanently above water, leads the diving education. All of the underwater scenes felt quite claustrophobic and added to the reality that these Navy divers, during the old days, really had everything to risk. But during the second half of the movie, Sunday simultaneously becomes Brashear's most vicious adversary and most loyal supporter. Men of Honor is at times heartbreaking and painful to watch, but the triumphant ending makes for a deeply satisfying payoff. This movie wasn't perfect, however, because it sometimes over dramatized things. Yet, little flaws such as pace vanished as time passed. Men of Honor is a moving film and deserves an honorable mention, just like Carl Brashear.

8 out of 10

DeNiro: "I fall asleep in my own movies." It shows.

The video transfer is clear and sharp. I didn't notice scratches or lines on the screen so nothing wrong here. What else to say? The movie feels somewhat yellowish on the land and blue-ish (duh!) in the water. It's not a perfect quality, but what FOX offers you is more than you can ask for.

9 out of 10

The sound is very well done. There's the usual English 5.1 Surround and DTS track. While they don't necessarily rock the speakers, the dialogue and music communicate enough presence. It's not THX quality, but a little more of extra vibes wouldn't hurt. The enjoyment of the movie was not affected by it so it's all good.

8 out of 10

The early days of the drinking game.

Speaking of extras, I there's 10 deleted scenes and an alternate ending. This ending is definitely heartbreaking because it deals with Billy Sunday's death. He tried to save the life of a drowned man, but because of his injured lung, he didn't make it to the top and died. The subsequent funeral scene was emotional but felt unsatisfying. It wasn't a happy ending so I can see how the director left it in the cutting room. The rest of the deleted scenes are mostly extended scenes which you can choose to view with commentary. Lasting about 20 minutes as a whole, they'd probably amount to only 10-12 minutes of actual "deleted" scenes. To top it off, Tillman Jr.'s introduction revealed that his first cut lasted 3 hours and 10 minutes. This kind of makes you wonder where that hour went and why it wasn't included here.

The real treat is commentary by Cuba Gooding, Jr., director George Tillman, Jr., producer Robert Teitel and screenwriter Scott Marshall Smith. They definitely had a great time making this movie. Yet, they also had some problems (budget and so on). I mean, what movie doesn't? The commentary is insightful and fun to listen to as some inside information (but not really secrets) is discussed: Hale Barry was up for Brashear's wife, DeNiro suggested Charlize Theron to play Sunday's wife, aspects of how Men of Honor was shot, etc. Definitely not a run-of-the-mill commentary.

"I don't like to watch my own movies," says DeNiro.

Cuba: "I know how you feel. I couldn't stand Snow Dogs."

Then FOX offers an HBO "first-look" featurette (filled with interviews and actual behind-the-scenes footage; 15 mins) and a documentary of a tribute to Carl Brashear (nicely done and appreciated; 15 mins). The animated storyboard feature (with optional commentary) is also neat, but it isn't for everybody. All in all, these features really make this FOX DVD a great special edition. 

9 out of 10

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