MEN OF HONOR (2000) **1/2 Why, I can only ask, does Hollywood insist on embellishing the tales of great men, and modifying the truth until they fit into a timeworn, and never all that great after the first use anyway, problem/love/resolution paradigm? Very frustrating, all of the elements necessary for a great film are here, the story would have been stronger without the obvious manipulation, and certainly Master Chief Carl Brashear deserved the best they could produce. Of course, from a utilitarian aspect...people like myself, who idolize Muddy Waters and Satchel Paige, need no reminding of the glory of the destructors of American apartheid. It's the casually involved in the history of culture who need to be reminded of the sacrifices of great personages, and such viewers are perhaps best lured with caramel coated syrup and jellybeans. Of course the problem is that they may then focus their concentrations on snacks at the expense of the feast. To paraphrase Ken Kesey, "in any given situation there are going to be more stupid potential ticket buyers than smart ones." Robert De Niro is absolutely brilliant as the disgusting racist antagonist, effortlessly illustrating how individuals with such readily apparent flaws often also possess more subterranean qualities, and a surprising ability to develop...if presented a common enemy. Cuba Gooding Jr. rises to the demands of the role (but never to the level of Carl Lumbly) in several key scenes, none involving dialogue, and the semi-hokey love interests are rendered primarily inoffensive by appealing performances by Aunjanue Ellis and Charlize Theron. Theron offers several of the best scenes (however unnecessary) with her subtle assessments of De Niro's impending behavior. David Conrad is convincing as the asinine egocentric stupid and amoral bureaucratic asshole interested only in his own career-but it's hardly a difficult role, equally compelling representations can be found in any law firm of medium size or better. Notice how only inviduals improve, where institutions simply change. I have no doubt that the taunts and torments against Brashear, here limited by time and the superficiality of much of the accompanying script, were far worse than anything depicted. In fairness I must also say that I grew up around the United States military, only a few years after the time frame depicted, and it was the least racist culture that I've ever lived in. Perhaps it's the pockets of elitism that so confuse souls lacking confidence, and convince the mind that it is protecting more than it possesses.
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