The performances, especially De Niro's quiet rage, occasionally lift Men of Honor above its predictability
Men of Honor (2000)
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Reviews Counted:101
Fresh:42
Rotten:59
Average Rating:5.3/10
Consensus: De Niro and Goodings Jr. manage to turn in performances that make this by-the-numbers inspirational movie watchable.
Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis:
Carl Brashear lets nothing stand in the way of his dreams. The son of a Kentucky sharecropper, Carl leaves home for what he expects would be a better life. "Never quit ... be the best," his father...
Carl Brashear lets nothing stand in the way of his dreams. The son of a Kentucky sharecropper, Carl leaves home for what he expects would be a better life. "Never quit ... be the best," his father had told him, and Carl takes those words to heart.
After he joins the newly-integrated Navy, Carl spends two years writing a hundred letters before the service accepts his application for its Dive School program. Carl's training officer, Billy Sunday, wants no part of Carl or his ambitions. Sunday, a celebrated Master Chief Navy Diver whose exploits as a troublemaker are as legendary as his accomplishments as a diver, relentlessly taunts and challenges Carl, expecting him to falter and quit. But Carl has other ideas. His goal is clear, his determination fixed. Nothing will stand in the way of his dream of becoming a Navy Diver. Not even Billy Sunday.
Years later, after Carl suffers a crippling injury, he and Sunday unexpectedly join forces. Never one to turn down an opportunity to flout the system, the rebellious senior officer helps Carl buck Navy bureaucracy, overcome the loss of a leg, and go on to make military history. By the time he retires, Carl earns the esteemed titles of Master Diver and Master Chief, the Navy's highest rank for an enlisted man.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding, Charlize Theron, Hal Holbrook
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding, Charlize Theron, Hal Holbrook, David Keith, Michael Rapaport, Powers Boothe
Director: George Tillman
Director: George Tillman
Screenwriter: Scott Marshall Smith
Producer: Robert Teitel, Bill Badalato
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Men of Honor
a pair of potentially fascinating characters at its core, two wonderful actors in the lead roles and a boatload of good intentions. So why does this telling of the life of Carl Brashear seem enervated rather than invigorating?
It holds few surprises, but it's just the ticket if you're in the mood for two hours of proudly traditional entertainment.
...the liberties Hollywood took in dressing it up only serve to undermine its effectiveness.
Bypasses the ambition and integrity found in a similar-themed but markedly better film like Norman Jewison's The Hurricane.
engrossing enough to qualify as solid entertainment with a meaningful message
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