Men of Honor

It's hard to sit through Men of Honor--a biography of the first African-American to become a diver in the U.S. Navy--without being pulled out of the story by the nagging feeling that creative license has run rampant through the blatantly fictionalized screenplay. But even if it is 110-percent predictable, the two solid central performances by Cuba Gooding, Jr. (whose mawkishly-intense integrity fits the part) and Robert DeNiro (as an irascible, racist diving instructor) help eke out a slight victory over the picture's rigid, transparent structure, which follows seaman Carl Brashear (Gooding) from galley cook to deep-sea rescue and salvage hero. Charlize Theron costars in a small, knockout performance as DeNiro's stormy, much-younger wife. A strong, optional purchase. (R. Blackwelder)