U571 (Blu-ray) (2000)

"Heroes Are Ordinary Men Who Do Extraordinary Things in Extraordinary Times.  G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Examiner
"If watching a two-hour submarine movie is this nerve-shattering, imagine what the real thing must have been like...  Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"Exciting!  NewsWeek
"Rip-roaring action adventure!  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Fast-moving, watertight and firing from all tubes.  Sean Means, Film.com

Editor's Note Faithful to the conventions of the World War II genre, Mostow's (BREAKDOWN) submarine thriller pays earnest homage to the pluck and determination of ordinary people forced to overcome extraordinary odds. The mostly young and inexperienced crew of the S-33 is deployed on a top secret, high-priority mission to intercept a disabled German u-boat (the titular U-571) and capture the ship's encryption system--the Enigma--in order to crack the Nazi's communication codes and hasten an allied victory in the North Atlantic. Racing against a German rescue effort, the S-33 stages a daring raid on the U-571. But after capturing the U-571, the Americans find themselves its prisoner as they must pilot the leaky, disabled vessel through hostile enemy waters. McConaughey (EDTV, DAZED AND CONFUSED) leads a strong cast (Keitel - HOLY SMOKE, Paxton - A SIMPLE PLAN) in this fast-paced, tense, submarine adventure.

	Jake Weber
	Jack Noseworthy
	Matthew McConaughey
	Thomas Kretschmann
	Derk Cheetwood
	Bill Paxton
	Tom Guiry
	Matthew Settle
	Jon Bon Jovi
	Terrence "T.C." Carson
	David Keith
	Robin Askwith
	Harvey Keitel
	Will Estes
	Sam Montgomery - Screenwriter
	Oliver Wood - Director of Photography
	April Ferry - Costume Designer
	Wayne Wahrman - Editor
	David Ayer - Screenwriter
	William Skinner - Production Designer
	Dino De Laurentiis - Producer
	Jon Mostow - Screenwriter
	Gotz Weidner - Production Designer
	Richard Marvin - Composer
	Jon Mostow - Director

Jonathan Mostow's (BREAKDOWN) World War II submarine thriller about a crew of inexperienced American mariners forced to pilot a disabled German U-boat through hostile waters delivers plenty of action while paying homage to such war genre greats as DAS BOOT and DESTINATION TOKYO. Matthew McConaughey (EDTV) leads the rag tag American crew as Lt. Andrew Tyler, a young officer determined to prove himself a capable leader after being denied command of his own ship. His fellow seamen include Jon Bon Jovi (MOONLIGHT AND VALENTINO), Bill Paxton (A SIMPLE PLAN) and a cross-section of American society, featuring a hot-headed Brooklyner, an earnest farm boy, a wise black cook, a pack of fresh-faced young sailors, and Harvey Keitel as a salty old sea dog. Working with a lean plot, Mostow employs Oliver Wood's (FACE/OFF) detailed, claustrophobic cinematography and an exceptional sound design to create a series of engaging and genuinely tense action sequences that take the rickety submarine to crushing depths in order to outrun German attacks. While his attention to hard historical facts may be a bit leaky, Mostow's ability to sustain suspense rewards viewers with a tight genre piece with no shortage of action or good old American patriotism. Rolling Stone
"...Matthew McConaughey delivers a tense, terrific performance..." 06/08/2000 p.82

Entertainment Weekly
"...Excitingly taut and kinetic....Leaps from one suspense gambit to the next..." -- Rating: A- 05/28/2000 pp.71-2

Total Film
"...[A] well-executed tale...mixing some cinema-rumbling big bangs with plenty of screen-cinging pyrotechnics..." 07/01/2000 p.82-3

Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...[A] smooth white-knuckler....It's a simple pleasure to watch..." 11/01/2000 p.102

Box Office
"...A rousing, old-fashioned submarine adventure....Just the right blend of adventure, action and gritty realism to keep audiences riveted throughout....A smart, slick crowd-pleaser..." 05/01/2000 p.65

Los Angeles Times
"...[The film] gets high marks for tension and excitement. The action sequences are bracing and involving..." 04/21/2000 p.F1

Widescreen Review
"In the cramped quarters of the submarine you can realistically identify with the high temperatures and sweat on the faces of the stressed crew." 07/01/2006 p.67

ReelViews 8 of 10
As submarine movies go, U-571 gets the job done - that is to say, it tells an engaging (albeit predictable) story and features several scenes of nail-biting suspense. All of the usual plot staples are in evidence: tension between crew members, deep diving where the hull threatens to collapse, dodging depth charges, and sub-to-sub battles. Director Jonathan Mostow (the man behind the camera for the relentless but hugely overrated Breakdown) should be commended for taking a thin script and crafting a compelling film out of it. U-571 doesn't hold together well upon reflection, but, while it's playing on screen, it works...In terms of pure action/adventure, U-571 is a strong contender, and its big name cast will give it a degree of visibility. Despite its weaknesses, this movie offers two hours of solid, kinetic entertainment. - James Berardinelli

Reel.com 8 of 10
With the help of co-screenwriters Sam Montgomery and David Ayer, the director assembles this WWII adventure's plot from leftover parts of Das Boot, Hunt for Red October, and Sink the Bismarck, among others. Once the film hits the water, however, Mostow's technical skills surge to full steam ahead -- its storytelling may be second class, but for the most part, U-571 is a thrill ride of the first rank...After a tense 90-minute game of undersea cat-and-mouse, U-571 abruptly ends with a silly sea-raft rescue picked right out of James Bond. This disappointing denouement nearly sinks what is otherwise a highly polished -- if thoroughly derivative -- adventure. Nevertheless, one simple quality puts U-571 20,000 leagues ahead of most escapist fare: It's character-driven. Rather than existing simply to kill time between special effects, the seamen have well-developed personalities. They don't belt off one-liners between explosions, they sweat, scream, and holler like real people. That alone is reason enough to take this dive. - Tor Thorsen