U-571 PG-13
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, and Jon Bon Jovi
Eric says: ******* (7)
Yes, it was predictable. Quite. And yes it was fun. Quite. The story is pretty much as follows - a WWII U.S. Navy Sub is to board a disabled Nazi sub to steal a secret decoder. Unfortunately for them, the U.S, sub is blown to smithereens whilst still on the German u-boat. Now they must navigate towards some neutral or friendly waters without being noticed in a sub where all the instructions, understandibly, are in (guess) German.
McConaughey leads an ensemble cast as the X-O who must take on the responsibility of Captain after the Paxton character bites the proverbial dust. (That actually brings up the corniest scene in the film - after Paxton is blown up with his U.S. sub, the McConaughey character is pondering whether to search for survivors or dive to escape the enemy ship. Paxton's charred remains float by the sub and actually tell Matty to get the funk out of there. Puh-leeze.) Once the crew figures out the controls, they then only have to contend with a disgruntled - as opposed to gruntled - German hostage, a German aircraft carrier, a German fighter plane, an occasionally dissenting crew, and about 100 depth charges.
Unfortunately, we know almost exactly how it's going to end, we know that one man will bravely sacrifice himself for the others, the one black guy will survive (or they would have killed him off at the beginning), the sub will creak and moan as it goes further doen than it should, and that, alas the Captain will lead them through it all. Almost through sheer will - and very strong cheekbones - McConaughey pulls it off with leading man verve to spare. The only other actor in the crew that really stood out was the guy who I only know as The Young Kid From The Matrix Who Gets Killed Early On.
While the intensity of Hackman vs. Washington is definitely not present (Crimson Tide is the extent of my sub movie knowledge), this is the first of the BIG FUN SUMMER MOVIES. Bring your popcorn, Junior MintsR, and a CokeTM, 'cuz it's once again time to enjoy over-priced Hollywood spectacles. Yes!
David says:
-CURRENT MOVIES-
U-571
THE SKULLS
BLACK AND WHITE
AMERICAN PSYCHO
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
ROAD TO EL DORADO
FLINTSTONES:VIVA ROCK VEGAS
FREQUENCY