Code Breakers (2005)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Admirable film.

Absolutely Brilliant!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

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.

Code Breakers is a film about football, honor, and the military. A large group of West Point cadets devise a way to cheat on their academic tests to help keep the football team together, breaking the academy honor code. One cadet has the guts to come forward and that starts the chain of events that disgraced Army football and West Point in 1951. It's a lesson in how anything can be rationalized as for the greater good. Something we should always strive to prevent if we are to stay true to the codes we accept and expect to live by. The whole point of the academy is to weed out those that can't make the grade. We tend to falsely think that effort is worth as much as achievement. While great effort that falls short should not be considered bad, it is grounds for being let go. While sports does teach team work and leadership, it should never be an end unto itself. It is, after all, only a game. Living in Wisconsin, I was surprised that coach Vince Lombardi was part of the film. A very well made film that draws you into the characters and the promise of a military training program that teaches the right stuff.

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.

I enjoyed the movie very much. It was very interesting, and I thought the young cadets were faced with some really tough issues. In their own mind, they knew it was wrong, but they were desperate to play on the team, graduate, etc. What they did was wrong, but I do not believe they deserved to be forced to resign from the academy. A failing grade or a suspension would have been more appropriate that what they had worked so hard to accomplish. However, I still enjoyed the movie and thought it brought out some real important issues. My only complaint is that at the end of the movie when the information of what eventually happened to the key characters was listed, I did not have time to read it, and I would still like to know what happened to the key cadets who had to resign.Lynn Smoak