Das Boot- American style.

Rating: Null/10 (18 April 2000)

U-571 is the horrorific tale of being trapped in a enemy u-boat during World War II. Lt. Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey) has his crew run and operate a very worn down German submarine while trying to protect a top secret enigma
machine that will decode German messages. What's bad about being on this sub is that they are in a German sub, where they can't understand most of the things written on there. And the sub before, is in very bad shape that it's barely holding itself together. Along with Lt. Tyler, there's Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel) a old "sea-dog" who has been in a submarine in battle before in World War I. Lt. Pete Emmett (Jon Bon Jovi) who has worked with Lt. Tyler and befriended him before. Lt. Hirsch (Jake Webber) who is from the government, who's main concentration on the mission is the enigma machine. And Marine Major Coonon (David Keith) who is leading and training the men into combat by taking over the German sub with the enigma machine. The crew is led by Capt. Dahlgren (Bill Paxton) who feels that this is a important mission, and that if they fail, the U.S. could lose the war. U-571, is quite a outstanding film from director Jonathan Mostow. He succeeds much better than he did with his previous film, BREAKDOWN. Is this film a historical fact tale of the second World War? I wouldn't bet on it, but is it a suspenseful action-thriller? You bet it is! I haven't been this intense with a submarine movie since Wolgang Petersen's 1982 classic, DAS BOOT. Both films have the men waiting below, as enemy battleships sit above dropping explosions onto them. What's rather ironic is that the first couple of minutes into this film, reminded me a lot of DAS BOOT, with the German sub and the Germans speaking their native tounge. From start to finish, this movie does grab the viewers attention. It shows why we should root for the U.S. sailors, and boo the German sailors, without giving us any cliche. And one is so into the movie, that they too would care on what happens to these sailors throughout their mission. I was so tense during the movie that I almost pulled off the arm rest of my seat. The acting in the movie is good, McConaughey is good, as usual, so is Paxton, Weber, and Jovi. But I have to give special kudos to Harvey Keitel. He is a pro at acting, and having him act along such new faces as McConaughey and Jovi, it shows that he still has his acting touch, after twenty-five years. But I will give writer and director Jonathan Mostow full credit for U-571. He really made a intelligent and suspensful action thriller, that is not a rip-off of DAS BOOT, but more like a homage to it. I sure he was watching DAS BOOT over and over while making this film. Because he managed to pull off the same tension in a sub film, that Wolfgang Petersen did in his film. Don't miss it!! ***** (out of five)