Fresh and Exciting

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The DVD is made by ESPN Home Entertainment. It was probably featured on ESPN. So those who are either indifferent or just plain not interested in sports, would likely pass on this movie, which would be a shame because this movie is much more than "just another movie with a sports related theme". While the movie has a sports related theme, namely Army football, the story is rooted in the keeping of the honor code, a code that must never be broken. Loyalty is also a code that must never be broken. The movie, which is based on a true story, is about a group of cadets at West Point who after operating a cheating ring so they could play football for the greatest team in the country and maintain their grade average, are forced to choose between honor (a cadet never cheats) and loyalty (a cadet never betrays the trust of his fellow cadets). A lot of research went into this movie and a lot of homework was done to make this movie as authentic as possible, successfully capturing West Point as it was in 1950, complete with haircuts, uniforms, etc. I had to give this movie an 8 only because Harkins' ribbons were worn out of order and his collar device was worn wrong. As a (Go Navy) retiree, I have seen ribbon infractions on high ranking officers. So maybe I shouldn't be too hard on the make up crew for allowing the uniform infractions on Harkins' uniform. This is an excellent movie that could be watched over and over again.

If the director and producer had bothered to have a military adviser or at least someone who was familiar with things military they would have avoided some horrible goofs like having Col Harkins wear his cavalry branch insignia upside down and his military ribbons arranged in a totally incorrect manner. My grand kids could also salute better than any of these actors. Another interesting goof to me were the football helmets. In this flick during the Army-Navy game, Navy wore the old leather-head type without face guards which were typical of the 1920-1940 football players. Army is shown wearing the more modern molded plastic variety. By 1950 all football teams were using the safer high impact plastic helmets. Other than that the movie was entertaining at best.

Codebreakers was a stimulating review of the ethics of my time. I was going through high school in those years and appreciate getting full details of the football scandal and what led up to it. The peer pressure to conform had to be intense and the movie portrayed the situation well.I liked the follow-up on the athlete's response, outlining how many regained their dignity and were able to re-enter the military and sports arenas in subsequent years.I often wondered how the legendary Vince Lombardi got his start, and now I know more of his background.All in all, it was fine entertainment.

"Duty, Honor, Country" is inscribed in granite over an archway at West Point. A personal moral code, duty, and honor is the foundation of the military and my learned profession. (I am proud to be a criminal defense lawyer, and I take "duty and honor" very seriously.) This story takes place in 1950-51 and wends its way through the infamous West Point football player cheating scandal that ultimately wiped out the West Point football team with 90 athletes dismissed.The cadet that finally blows the whistle on it is played by Zack Bryan, who was the oldest son in "Home Improvement" (billed there as Zachery Ty Bryan), and he does an excellent job in his role, as do all the other young actors enlisted for this movie. Bryan's character, on the swim team, wrestles with ratting out his roommate who lets him in on the secret that the football team is passing around questions from the examinations. Those who take it first write down the questions for others. Bryan's character is wrestles with his conscience and comes forward. His own father, however, chastises him, but not for following the code. Instead, it is for not following the "chain of command" and going to the Commandant, knowing that going to the Honor Committee likely would be futile because the football team had ringers on the Committee. His own father tells him that his military career will be ruined for following the honor code. He stands up to his father.Also excellent, and typically understated is Scott Glenn as the team coach, a West Point graduate himself, whose son is slated to be the next season's starting quarterback. He finds his own son involved, and he has to wrestle with that conundrum as well, knowing that his own son would be kicked out, too. He's the coach. His team is destroyed. This is only partly developed because this movie is not supposed to be about football.The cadets involved connive and plot to "stonewall" (was that word even used in 1950?) the investigation (One says that a leader "never, ever admits that he was wrong. Any man who does is not fit to lead." Sound familiar?), but the first one in to be interviewed didn't know the plan, so he named names. He is Bryan's roommate. He's obviously mad at Bryan when he figures out the source, but he realizes, as others come to do, that he should be more mad at himself for screwing up. Bryan ends up with a guard at his door for protection. Other than the Commandant, the guard, under orders not to talk to him knocks on the door and tells him "You saved West Point." This is an important point almost lost in the movie.I give this a 7 because of the young actors and the honest attempt at the important message. Glenn has been better, but they all do a reasonably good job. The problem with the script, maybe though, is that it was written for ESPN, and not for wider release to general audiences. So, it spends more time on football issue and teams, and I think not enough on dealing with the important moral issues until all hell breaks loose, and the plot moves more to the characters and their problems. More should have been spent on what it took to come forward and what Bryan's character endured. But, moral values are so lacking in this society today, at every level and in every corner, I applaud ESPN for taking this on and the message it ultimately conveys. Lives were not all totally ruined, but they paid a dear price for compromising "honor." Moral values can be taught anywhere. This is a start.Finally, for HDTV, the picture was not always of the highest quality for HD.