This earnest but enjoyable naval extravaganza is based on the experiences of Carl Brashear, who joined the US Navy in the late 1940s, just as segregation was abolished. In George Tillman Jr's film, Brashear (played by Cuba Gooding Jr) sets his sights on becoming the first African-American deep-sea navy diver. Sent to boot camp, he finds himself under the strict regime of hostile diving master Billy Sunday (Robert De Niro), and so begins a long struggle to win respect and achieve his goal. There are some spectacular underwater sequences, but they tend to overshadow the performances of both leads.

Against formidable odds -- and an old-school diving instructor embittered by the U.S. Navy's new, less prejudicial policies -- Carl Brashear sets his sights on becoming the Navy's first African-American master diver in this uplifting true story. Their relationship starts out on the rocks, but fate ultimately conspires to bring the men together into a setting of mutual respect, triumph and honor.