My friend and I went to see the movie, and came out rather wide-eyed and impressed. The story may sound trite to some, but it’s a well-told tale of success against prejudice and big odds. I have read a bit about the gent who was the real-life subject of the film, and he’s quite a guy.
One of my favorite measures to apply to a film is my ability to ’’suspend disbelief’’ and accept the characters and script. This film passes that test well.
Cuba Gooding continues to impress me and show versatility as I see him in more roles. He turns in a solid, believable performance as the child of a dirt-poor farmer who leaves the farm to enter the Navy. While at sea, he witnesses a diver perform an act so brave that he decides he wants to be a diver and reach the highest NCO rank in the Navy.
He gets an assignment to dive school, only to find that it’s run by the gent whose bravery he witnessed - and that this diver (DeNiro) and the school’s CO (Hal Holbrook) are both prejudiced against blacks (surprise...). The plot from there is his struggle to succeed against a stacked deck, and the sacrifice he has to make in an effort to achieve his ultimate goal.
DeNiro is a powerful actor, but he doesn’t always pass the ’’suspension of disbelief’’ test. In some films, he’s DeNiro playing a part...and it shows. However, in THIS one, he submerged himself in the role (pun intended)and I found it easy to believe his character. the result was a very strong performance. Full marks for him!
I strongly recommend this movie to those who are not so jaded that they have trouble with a positive ending. The story is deeply inspiring and well told, and it was a very pleasant surprise to us. Although we went to it because we were too late for for another movie, we were delighted with the result. This is a good, solid movie.
YOU OUGHT TO SEE THIS MOVIE IF YOU HAVEN’T