Surprisingly incompetent attempt of creating suspense

Rating: 2/10 (27 May 2000)

`U-571` is a movie that is so fundamentaly ill-conceived that I must express my sincere disgust with it.It is a failed WW-2 submarine epic that can be used as cure for insomnia.Mostow wrote it and directed it in such a way that he not only mad a bad movie but he also made me question his overall film knowledge.Because this movie looks like a work of a man who haven`t seen cult classics of the genre.If he had seen submarine epics like `The Hunt For Red October`or `Das Boot` or `The 49th Parallel` he would at least try to use those flicks as a blueprint.But no,Mostow sticks to his own vision which is painfully wrong.He simulates suspense without characters and results are hillarious.The only `character` in this movie that resembles a personality is played by Matthew McConaughey who is extremely uncharismatic and who should stay focused on low-profile direct-to-theater-far-away-from-me-movies like `EdTV`. Direction is dull and script can be described as a collection of missed opportunities.Mostow,Montgomery and Ayer sink the movie when Americans enter the German sub. Authors chose the worst possible path after that potent moment and they turned a suspenser into a massive bore. By the time Americans meet the German destroyer the audience is brought to the brink of a suicide and the climax is particularly unsatisfying. `U-571` has other barely believable aspects.First of all,I can`t believe that a major studio actually released this.I also can`t believe that studio payed or blackmailed so many critics to say affirmative stuff about this movie.I mean flops like `Saving Private Ryan` are in line with this piece of incompetence.I hoped that Hollywood wouldn`t let anyone make another `Saving Private Ryan`but here we go they did it again.