Kalimac is right. Faramir never saw the Ring. And when he guessed that Frodo bore "Isildur's Bane," he suggested they stop speaking about it. He didn't know what exactly "Isildur's Bane" was, but he knew it was an "heirloom of power and peril ... a fell weapon" that would appeal to Boromir. In this context, his "refusal" to take the Ring was not implausable and spoke volumes about his intelligence, discretion and self-awareness. Faramir knew Frodo had something powerful, but he didn't want to be tempted by it, so he didn't ask to see it and didn't want to discuss it further. When Sam let slip that Frodo had the Ring, Faramir understood what he had initially refused, but stood by his previous decision, saying:
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"But I am not such a man (as to desire the Ring). Or I am wise enough to know there are some perils from which a man must flee."
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Again, he didn't want to be tempted because he was humble enough to realize he might fall.
PJ & co wrote themselves into a corner by making the Ring so alluring and by letting Faramir see it. At that point they had no choice but to make him go for it. This really weakened Faramir's character as others have said, because Boromir could withstand the call for months, but Faramir fell after only seconds.
Faramir was also weakened in the movie by being a son desperate for his father's approval. Book Faramir wanted his father to approve the good things he did on his own -- the things he would have done anyway even if Denethor hadn't approved. Movie Faramir changed his actions to appeal to his father, which I felt was spineless and pathetic.
Book Faramir: I did the right thing, why don't you approve of me?
Movie Faramir: You don't approve of me, so I'm going to do whatever goofy thing you want just to get a crumb of affection.
Those are vastly different things.
-Lily