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The more you look at Faramir, the more feminine he becomes to his brother's masculine.
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I think we do both Boromir and Faramir a disservice by always considering them together. If Boromir hadn't acted as he did, Faramir's resistance to the Ring might have seemed less remarkable: throughout the story, the truly wise and powerful people (Aragorn, Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond) are adamant in their refusals of the Ring's utility for themselves or for the war against Sauron. Any of these people, and Faramir as well, could have taken the Ring from Frodo at any time. By being able to withstand the Ring, Faramir puts himself into this lofty company. He does this without help or hindrance from his father or his brother--and now we come to Why I Didn't Like Movie Faramir: everything Movie Faramir does is directly related to his relationships with his father and his brother. He doesn't seem to have any independent thoughts at all, and I think that Book Faramir (or "Classic" Faramir
) comes across as a stronger will and a nobler hero. This is partly because he's strong, wise, and faithful in a way that stands alone, and doesn't need to be propped up by his brother's perceived weakness or his father's madness. He is heroic with or without comparisons.
However...
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As for the circumstances, Boromir traveled with the Ring close at hand for months, which has got to have been a serious strain on him. Faramir only stayed close to the Ring for a few days at most, and he never even saw the thing. In fact, once he figured out Frodo was carrying the Ring, not only did he not want to see it, but he didn't even want to discuss it.
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Lily Bracegirdle makes a really good point as to why Boromir tends to come off badly in comparisons to his brother. He was tempted without respite for months, forced to accept the possibility of the end of the Age of Stewards, and was part of a group of which he was decidedly not the leader for perhaps the first time in his life. It really makes you feel for the poor chap! He had already proven himself as very, very good at defending Gondor, and saw no compelling reason to stop doing so. And without comparisons to his Ring-resisting younger brother, his actions might not seem so venal or shortsighted.