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Men of Honor (2000) ft. Christine Duncan

  • Writer: Thomas Duncan
    Thomas Duncan
  • Nov 5
  • 5 min read
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Guest:


Cast:

  • George Tillman, Jr., Director

  • Scott Marshall Smith, Writer

  • Anthony B. Richmond, Cinematography

  • Mark Isham, Music

  • John Carter and Dirk Westervelt, Editors

  • Robert De Niro as Master Chief Leslie "Billy" Sunday

  • Cuba Gooding Jr. as Boatswain's Mate Second Class Carl Brashear

    • Chris Warren Jr. as Young Carl

  • Charlize Theron as Gwen Sunday

  • Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Jo Brashear

  • Hal Holbrook as Camp Commanding Officer "Mr. Pappy" Captain USN.

  • Michael Rapaport as Gunners Mate Snowhill

  • Powers Boothe as Captain Pullman

  • David Keith as Captain Hartigan

  • Holt McCallany as Machinist's Mate First Class Dylan Rourke


Background:

  • Men of Honor was released on November 10, 2000.

  • On a reported budget of $32 million, Men of Honor grossed roughly $82.3 million to finish #56 at the worldwide box office for 2000.

  • The reviews at the time were at best mixed to mildly positive, but most saw the film as formulaic or a fill in the blank based on a true story fare.

  • Men of Honor currently holds a 41% among critics on RT, a 56 score on Metacritic, and a 3.5/5 on Letterboxd.


Plot Summary: Men of Honor is an inspiring drama based on the true story of Carl Brashear, the first African American master diver in the U.S. Navy. Played by Cuba Gooding Jr., Brashear faces racism, physical hardship, and personal sacrifice as he fights to achieve his dream. His toughest challenge comes from his commanding officer, Master Chief Billy Sunday (played by Robert De Niro), a tough and skeptical veteran diver. Over time, the two men develop a deep mutual respect. Men of Honor is a story about courage, determination, and breaking barriers against all odds.


Did You Know:

  • While the film portrays a Wisconsin recruit as the only white recruit to remain in Carl Brashear's bunk, the actual individual was a Brazilian diver named Alberto José do Nascimento, who was also dark-skinned. Alberto also helped Brashear save a fellow recruit who was trapped underwater during a training exercise.

  • It is mentioned several times that Billy Sunday swam out of the St. Lo when she sunk. The U.S.S. St. Lo was an escort carrier, and the first major U.S. Navy ship to be sunk by a kamikaze. It happened during the Battle off Samar, part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf. The St. Lo and several other escort carriers, along with a handful of destroyers and destroyer escorts, held off a larger, and more powerful, Japanese task force, whose mission was to shell the Allied invasion force preparing to re-take the Philippines.

  • Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro) was based on two people in Carl's career.

  • Master Chief Sunday has a tattoo of two anchors crossed on the webbing of his hand between his thumb and index finger. This is a traditional tattoo of a boatswains mate in the sea services.


Best Performance: Robert DeNiro (Sunday)/Cuba Gooding Jr (Carl)/Aunjanae Ellis-Taylor (Jo)

Best Secondary Performance: Cuba Gooding Jr. (Carl)/Robert DeNiro (Sunday)

Most Charismatic Award: Charlize Theron (Gwen)/George Tillman Jr (Director)/Aunjanae Ellis-Taylor (Jo)

Best Scene:

  • Father's Advice

  • Sunday's Last Dive

  • Meeting Jo

  • Bar Bet

  • Carl's Proposal

  • Final Diver Test

  • Finding the Warhead

  • Final Suit Walk

Favorite Scene: Bar Bet

Most Indelible Moment: Final Suit Walk/Father's Advice


In Memorium:


Best Lines/Funniest Lines:

Billy Sunday: The Navy Diver is not a fighting man, he is a salvage expert. If it is lost underwater, he finds it. If it's sunk, he brings it up. If it's in the way, he moves it. If he's lucky, he will die young, 200 feet beneath the waves, for that is the closest he'll ever get to being a hero.


Billy Sunday: A Chief Petty Officer shall not drink. However, if he should drink he shall not get drunk. If he should get drunk, he shall not stagger. And if he should stagger, he shall not fall. And if he should fall, he will fall in such a manner as to cover up his rank so that passerbyers will think he is an officer.


Billy Sunday: Gentlemen, this is weekend liberty, remember one night stands maybe over in the morning but Syphilis lasts a lifetime.


Billy Sunday: My name is Master Chief Billy Sunday. There was a preacher by the same name who cleaned up Chicago of all the whoring spics, drunken wops and motherfucking niggers that was making that place unfit for decent white folks to live. The only difference between me and that old preacher is that he worked for God, and I *am* God!


[Sunday regards a picture of Carl's late father]

Billy Sunday: What the hell did he ever say to make you try so hard?

Carl Brashear: Be the best.

Billy Sunday: Well, you are.


Mac Brashear: You get in there and fight, Carl. Don't take promises. Bust their rules if you have to. And when it gets hard, and it will, don't quit on me, ever.


Billy Sunday: Goddammit Cookie, move your ass, I want my TWELVE!


Billy Sunday: You know what the Chinese say, cookie? Beware what you wish for.


Carl Brashear: You? You're the same hateful little man you started out as. Without diving, you're nothing but a lost, broke-down, son of a bitch who used to be something.


Jo: Why do you want this so bad?

Carl Brashear: Because they said I couldn't have it.


Carl Brashear: Forgive me sir, but to me, the Navy isn't a business. It's an organization of people who represent the finest aspects of our nation. We have many traditions. In my career, I have encountered most of them. Some are good, some not so good. I would, however not be here today were it not for our greatest tradition of all.

Captain Hanks: And what would that be, Chief Brashear?"

Carl Brashear: " Honor, sir"


Mr. Pappy: Two tablespoons of machine oil can contaminate an entire ship's fresh water supply.


Jo: Don't you see? I'm not like you. The things I want...

[Jo sighs and takes Carl's hand]

Jo: The things I want are smaller. If I just work hard and keep my head down...

Carl Brashear: Your whole life will pass you by.


The Stanley Rubric:

Legacy: 5.83

Impact/Significance: 4.67

Novelty: 4.5

Classic-ness: 7.5

Rewatchability: 6.33

Audience Score: 8.2 (83% Google, 81% RT)

Total: 37.03


Remaining Questions:

  • None


Listener Questions:

  • Better actor: David Keith or Keith David?

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