Taut and gripping, U-571 follows the exploits of a fictional team of World War II U.S. submariners who undertake a secret mission to capture a German Enigma machine to decode German documents. Writer-director Jonathan Mostow (Breakdown) tells an intense, economical tale, reminiscent of the best classic war films, while infusing it with modern sentiments.
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
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January 1, 2011
#1
U-571, What Hollywood has Become,
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.
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|January 1, 2011
#2
Neither entertaining nor good !,
I am admittedly a fan of submarine-warfare movies and books, and will also admit to overlooking some factual ‘inaccuracies’ as long as the plot gets furthered by them. As for ‘U-571′ – If you honestly want to see a submarine move, pick another ! This flick is far to clean shaven, scrubbed and streamlined to even remotely resemble real life and duty on a submarine, even under preent day conditions. Watch “The Boat” instead especially the director’s cut, for an impression of ‘life’ on a submarine. As for historical ‘accuraccy’ – It has been mentioned before that the Polish, French and British secret services originally ‘accquired’ the Enigma machine during the thirties – and by ’41 were regularly reading the U-boat dispatches ( with corresponding massive effect on the naval war) – rendering the basic premise of the movie void from the start…… As for the uninspired acting – actually nothing much was expected, so the disappointment was managable…… Still, it might be fun watching it as a total no-brainer zoned out with a cask of beer. Then again, there are more memorable movies ! Leave it be
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|January 1, 2011
#3
A time-filler at best. Watch “Das Boot” again instead.,
“Das Boot” proved that submarines can provide the settings for claustrophobic action, intense crew interactions, and nail-biting suspense. Unfortunately, “U-571″ fails miserably on all three counts. The culprits here are obvious plotting, mediocre acting, and pedestrian direction. The film has one legitimate surprise (no plot spoiler here), but it’s way too easy to figure out the rest of the action before it happens. Harvey Keitel fares the best of the cast, but he’s stuck with the stereotypical role of the war-hardened chief petty officer. Matthew McConaughey shows no screen presence as the lieutenant who has to take command. As for the direction, the film moved too slowly (especially at the beginning). Since I was always sure of “U-571″‘s outcome (unlike “Das Boot”), the suspense factor was the film’s only lure and it was simply too weak.
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