“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
Number of Times Seen – 2 (4 Dec 2001 and 21 Jan 2016)
Brief Synopsis – True story of a determined African-American sailor who wanted to be the very first Black Navy Diver.
My Take on it – This was probably not the easiest film to get made because due to it’s theme about racial prejudices, it doesn’t always show all of its real life characters in a favorable light.
I commend them for not trying to sugarcoat anything and ultimately, we get a very emotionally charged movie because of the emphasis on racial theme.
Both Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert DeNiro are excellent here because we get to see how their characters change and evolve over the years and it sheds more light on who these men really were.
There are some scenes that drag a bit but the story despite this remains interesting, inspirational and captivating throughout.
Love the inspirational theme song Win by Brian McKnight.
Watch it here:
Bottom Line – Great emotionally charged biopic that doesn’t try to sugar coat real life prejudices in the Military. Gooding and DeNiro are both excellent here and we see how each of the characters evolve and grow over the years. It’s a bit slow in certain parts, but still remains interesting. Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Carl Brashear’s great-nephew is NHL bruiser Donald Brashear of the New York Rangers. (From IMDB)
Rating – Globe Worthy
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