Standard (War)fare

Rating: 6/10 (9 March 2003)

There's nothing new on offer in "U-571", the story about Allied attempts to capture German U-boats and their prized Enigma code machines. When a U-boat is crippled in the North Atlantic, an operation is quickly mounted in which an American sub is camouflaged as German to get close enough to send aboard a rescue crew which will then overpower the Nazis. No problema.

There is also the personal conflict where the second in command (McConnaughey) has just been denied promotion by the commander (Paxton). Most of the other characters are not very well developed (stereotyped) like the standard war movies of past decades. And the action sequences are predictable. "U-571" was nominated for lots of sound-related awards, but this is lost on standard television systems like mine. If this is the way you intend to view "U-571", don't. For the home theater owners, if the sound of rivets popping on sub bulkheads is your cup of tea, this is supposed to be the best.