April 21, 2000
2000, 1 hr 50 min., Rated PG-13 for war violence.�Dir: Jonathan Mostow. Cast: Matthew McConaughey (Lt. Andrew Tyler), Bill Paxton (Captain Dahlgren), Harvey Keitel (Chief Klough), Jon Bon Jovi (Lt. Pete Emmett), Jake Weber (Lt. Hirsch), Erik Palladino (Mazzola), Matthew Settle (Larson), David Keith (Marine Major Coonan), Terrence 'T.C.' Carson (Eddie), Derk Cheetwood (Griggs), Will Estes (Rabbit), Tom Guiry (Trigger), Jack Noseworthy (Wentz), Dave Power (Tank), Thomas Kretschmann (Kapitanlieutenant Wassner).
Seeing and having to review a movie that one has been looking forward to with great anticipation is a bit like competition diving. The judges know the level of difficulty, so a dive cannot exceed an established point total. The trick is to not mess up and bring that total down even further.
This is how I go in to see U-571. It has two things going for it: 1) World War II, and 2) Submarines. These are ultimate guy situations that make for a "guy flick," as much as Diane Keaton being a rich divorcee and Debra Winger or Meryl Streep dying of cancer equals a "chick flick".
The problems, though, automatically threaten to pull the film down a star or two, and if it doesn't deliver then it risks belly-flopping into one star territory:
- The cast ain't exactly Tom Hanks and a worthy crew of subordinates (Giovanni Ribisi, Tom Sizemore, Vin Diesel, etc.) No, in 571 we're given naked bongo-playing pot-smoking Matthew McConaughey as a leader to a rag-tag bunch of guys you've either never heard of or don't care about. Bless their hearts, the little guys try, but I had a hard time believing these guys were in the Armed Forces. Two examples: one of the crew is played by Jon Bon Jovi (hardly recognizable, though), another by the really annoying Dr. Malucci (Erik Palladino) in "ER." Luckily, the extent of Bon Jovi's dialogue is "splashes!" Or, if the script calls for something difficult, "more splashes!"
� � � Attempting to help out McConaughey in prominent roles are Harvey Keitel and Bill Paxton as the Chief and Captain, respectively. Not bad, just not that great, either. They didn't seem to have much direction for their characters.
- The score is not that of a solid war film. In fact, it's pretty weak for any picture. War movies need a solid score, or none if its makers believe real-life sounds are more powerful. The music is more suitable for an superhero flick, too dramatic in slow scenes and simply overpowering in other moments.
- U-571 presents false history. As a history buff this disturbs me, because I don't see the downfall should the filmmakers have made the movie with British actors about the true heroes who first captured the Germans' Enigma Code machine.
- Never compare a film with its predecessors of the genre. There will never be an equal to Das Boot, so forget about thinking any submarine film can measure up to that masterpiece. Others have done very well in their own right, though, such as the very good Crimson Tide and The Hunt for Red October.
All that being said, what saves U-571 from flopping is the action. The actors even admit as much, which would normally mean a popcorn flick such as this belongs as a summer release. There are plenty of explosions, tense doom-awaiting scenes as well as fights and gun battles. See the film in a theater that has a decent sound system, because that will heighten the action sequences. If you can't feel the depth charges in the pit of your belly, then you're not in a good theater.
Still, it can't make up for a predictable plot and overly blatant cliches with a few too many "golly-gee" sailors at the helm. Watchable, yes, enjoyable, yes, but also very forgettable.
The verdict: 
-- Not much depth, but plenty of charge.