Spring 1942: A crew of young submarine sailors are on a much-needed 48-hour liberty when they're suddenly called together and engaged in an expedition. At the helm are Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), and Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel). Other pivotal crew members include Tyler's Annapolis pal Lieutenant Pete Emmett (Jon Bon Jovi, proving his acting mettle) and Lieutenant Hirsch (Jake Weber), who, along with Marine Major Coonan (David Keith), organizes the mission. As much of the movie takes place in a submarine during WWII, there are inevitable comparisons with the technical masterpiece Das Boot, but Mostow's masterfully shot tale can hold its own.

McConaughey's Tyler is believably earnest as he comes to grips with the reality, tragedy, and consequence of being in command. While this explosion-filled film consistently maintains its tense pace (as did the underrated Breakdown), it also presents with surprising restraint a genuine human story--and the remarkable journey of an unexpected hero. --N.F. Mendoza

But the point, which I critize, is, that the film is rather unrealistic. Think about the American soldiers, who learn how to use an alien ship during a fight. Moreover they are able to repair the boat and to destroy a large battle ship with only one shot.

At least, as some of other writers already said, hollywood changes historical facts for a better selling in the USA. And that should nobody do, especially with such a special topic like the World War 2.


U-571, What Hollywood has Become   October 1, 2000
79 out of 93 found this review helpful

U-571 has tremendous special effects, but so do millions of other movies. Know what else millions of other movies have? Weak plot, weak characterization, bad acting. Know what U-571 has? The same. It's true this film is griping, and it does keep you on the edge of your seat, but other that than there's not much else going for it. Like so many other movies U-571 relies on special effects to keep it afloat, which is why in the end it survived.

It was a good story, unfortunately they rushed to get it out, slapped in some dialoge, composited some special effects, and hired Bill Paxton. Fun to watch if you've got time to waste.


Full Speed Ahead --- Truly Entertaining Flick!   December 5, 2000
paperbackriter (USA)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

Okay, so "U-571" may not be historically correct and perhaps it can't hold a torpedo to "Das Boot", but it's still a darn good piece of entertainment. In a summer full of big screen washouts, this riveting World War II drama gave me my money's worth. The sets -- mostly the interiors of US & German submarines -- were fantastic. I truly felt the sense of dread and claustrophobia of living in a dark, cramped vessel that could be blown to bits at any time. The mission to capture the Enigma coding device aboard a German U-Boat may not have been true, but it sure was riveting. Of course, the mission doesn't go as planned and that sets up some very interesting scenarios. Especially dramatic is the scene where the submarine is being depth-charged by the German destroyer. Again, I don't care if the scene was accurate or not, I just know the intensity and suspense nearly killed me. True, some of the characters were stiff (mainly Bill Paxton) and some of the digital effects left something to be desired but, overall "U-571" is a satisfying action/war movie. The widescreen DVD print looks terrific. The sound effects are great --- loud and explosive, just as they should be. Also, the DVD edition is loaded with extra goodies such as a "Making Of" documentary, interviews with actual WWII submariners, and a feature length audio commentary. Overall a solid addition to any action fan's DVD library.


U-SUCK   May 20, 2000
28 out of 32 found this review helpful

This film is totally boring. I was expecting excellence because this film had an awesome trailer and an all-star cast. I was totally disappointed and bored.

The story is totally flat. I mean some Americans travel out to the sea in the war, their submarine sinks so they find another one and go onto it when they know it is the enemies. Then they expect to win a war! Um, doesn't that sound a bit dumb to you?

Even though this movie has awesome special effects and great sound, it is packed with over-rated acting, a dumb director, a lame story and a slow pace, unfortunately U-571 doesn't do it for me.


U-need-a-better-story   May 12, 2000
31 out of 36 found this review helpful

A wonderful historical premise, a promising cast, and a writer-director who has previously demonstrated some real talent, all only serve to make this cliched and boring film even more disappointing. This is allegedly an action movie with an emotional subtext, but it fails to deliver on both counts. Despite the high-concept - "US navy intercepts U-boat to steal Enigma code machine, and it all goes horribly wrong" - nothing much really happens. The commandeered U-boat is damaged and almost out of torpedoes, so the hapless American pirates spend the next hour limping around the ocean floor wondering how they're going to get out of this mess. I expected so much more from this - more action, more tension, more story. It feels like they shot the second draft of the screenplay - the one where the hero's character is only half-developed and some of the plot points still need to be worked out. It looks hurriedly cobbled together, too, with special effects that are annoyingly second-rate and some pretty static camera work. This wasn't a mega-budget movie, so maybe they spent most of the money on the cast. Yet this doesn't pay off, either, because the cast is wasted. They're given nothing to do. Paxton and Keitel have about 20 lines between them, and McConaughey just broods. Jon Bon Jovi disappears so early you're likely to forget he was ever in it. The ultimate problem, however, isn't the budget. You don't need a huge budget to make a decent submarine movie. You need a great story. "The Hunt For Red October" and "Crimson Tide" both rely on great stories more than special effects. "U-571" has a great story IDEA, but it's under-developed. And it isn't helped by what has to be the most gratingly banal score since "Eyes Wide Shut".