U-571 (2000) Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.0 stars
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, Jake Weber, David Keith, Jack Noseworthy Written by: Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery and David Ayer Directed by: Jonathan Mostow Running Time: 118 minutes
The "submarine" genre of movies seems to be one of the most intriguing and compelling types of storytelling there is. Think about it... these films are completely based in reality, yet only a handful of people have ever been on one, making them fascinating to the general public. They aren't like movies that take place on a plane or a train, as anybody can get on one of those. And they aren't like movies that happen in outer space either, because no one's done any of that stuff yet. When a new one comes out, you don't hear anyone say "ugh, another submarine movie" like people tend to say "ugh, another boxing movie". Look at modern movies that involve submarines: Das Boot, The Abyss, The Hunt for Red October, Crimson Tide... all are well regarded as top-notch entertainment.
Gladly joining that bunch is U-571, which stars Matthew McConaughey as the executive officer of a U.S. Naval submarine during World War II. We learn he has been denied a recommendation for his own command by his superior (Bill Paxton). McConaughey's crew then receives orders that they will be boarding a disabled German submarine to steal the Enigma, a German communications encoding device that has stumped Allied Intelligence. The mission goes horribly wrong however, and as a result, McConaughey and only a handful of his crew (as well as a captured German) become trapped aboard the U-571 in enemy waters.
The first great thing about U-571 is the film's opening sequence. The German crew of U-571 are under attack, which sets the events of the rest of the film into motion. It's tense, exciting and fascinating. And I applaud the filmmakers for not copping out and instead keeping the entire sequence in German with English subtitles. Most movies with a scene this long would have panicked and had the German crew speaking English right away.
Once the plot gets moving, U-571 gives us action sequence after action sequence, making the audience wonder "Ok, now how do they get out of this?". The stakes keep raising (much like in Executive Decision, an excellent action-thriller), and even though the audience knows how the film will end, it's a lot of fun getting there.
I only have two minor complaints about the entire film. The first comes from the scenes which follow the opening sequence. While their purpose is to introduce us to the characters and to get the story going (which they do), I feel as though it could have been done much quicker, and less conventionally. I mean, did we really have to see the ship's crew at a wedding? Because of that, you now know exactly what's going to happen to the groom!
My other gripe would be during the film's finale. There's an explosion which ends the film that is one of the weakest looking CGI effects since the President's plane crashed into the ocean at the end of Air Force One. I cannot stress this enough... until a CGI effect can be made to look like a model effect, stick with using models.
Yes, U-571 is historically incorrect and there are surely some specifics in the plot that people who have been onboard a submarine will tell you "that couldn't happen", but the overall point of this film is entertainment. It succeeds fantastically. [PG-13]
Reviewed by Chuck Dowling - chuckd21@fdn.com The Jacksonville Film Journal - http://www.jaxfilmjournal.com/
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