Search - Men of Honor [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 04/10/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 8 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Total Copies: 50 Genres: Drama, Biopic [feature], Message Movie See Also: Men of Honor [Fullscreen], Men of Honor [Blu-ray]

This military drama is based on the true story of Carl Brashear, who was the first African-American to serve as a diver in the United States Navy. Brashear (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) was born to a poor farming family in the deep South, and joined the Navy in hopes of bettering himself. When Brashear applies for diving school, he first encounters Master Chief Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro), a gruff and tyrannical diving instructor who holds absolute sway over his charges. Sunday does little at first to encourage Brashear's ambitions, and the would-be diver discovers racism in the military is an ugly fact of life when his white comrades refuse to share barracks with him. But Brashear's courage and determination make an impression on Sunday, and the two men become allies as Brashear must fight prejudice, military bureaucracy, and even a crippling injury in order to realize his dreams. Originally announced under the title Navy Diver, Men of Honor also features Hal Holbrook, David Keith, Michael Rapaport, Charlize Theron, and Powers Boothe; Bill Cosby served as an executive producer for the project. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Robert De Niro - Master Chief Billy Sunday
Cuba Gooding, Jr. - Carl Brashear
Charlize Theron - Gwen
Aunjanue Ellis - Jo
Hal Holbrook - Mr. Pappy

The story of Navy diver Carl Brashear, the first African-American to achieve the rank of Master Diver, Men of Honor comes to DVD in an excellent Special Edition package. As DVDs pile up on the shelves, that phrase often gets tacked on to even the most sparse discs. Here, however, the title is richly deserved. Boasting a stellar transfer -- a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen picture -- this is another good buy to show off the visual attributes of the medium. Men of Honor isn't the kind of film that absolutely requires Dolby Digital Sound, but the 5.1 treatment puts the underwater action center stage. These are fine additions, to be sure, but the special edition moniker usually refers to one thing -- extras. Here, viewers get a great commentary from director George Tillman Jr., star Cuba Gooding Jr., and the producer and writer. There is also a bevy of deleted scenes, including an alternate ending. These are available with or without a commentary track from Tillman. Also included are a pair of featurettes, including a look at the real Carl Brashear's life. In addition, this DVD also offers an animatic storyboard, a music video for the film's theme song, and the usual trailers and TV spots. All in all, =Men of Honor is a solid release and the excellent extras make it worth owning. ~ Jeremy Brown, All Movie Guide