Well worth a trip to the cinema.

Rating: 7/10 (27 May 2000)

Ok, so it's historically incorrect, but if you want to see a documentary just stay home and watch the Discovery Channel.
If you would prefer to see a rip-roaring war film packed with the cat and mouse suspense that is the territory of most Submarine based films then you'll like this one.
The plot is based around the capture by the allies of the German enigma machine (the Germans used this machine to send all coded signals to their forces) in the 2nd World War. A US Submarine is sent to capture the machine from a stricken U-Boat stranded in Mid-Atlantic.
Bill Paxton as Captain Dahlgren and Matthew McConaughy as XO Tyler have a strained relationship due to Dahlgrens recommendation that Tyler should not be made captain of his own sub. Tyler has yet to learn that leadership comes at a price..... Harvey Keitel is the star of the movie as Chief. As usual Keitel manages the hold the movie together and it is his presence that adds class to the film.
Bill Paxton gives a good performance but I felt Matthew McConaghys performance wooden, compared to the rather similar role played by Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan.
In fact there area number of parallels between this film and "Ryan" although to reveal them would be a Spoiler.
The special effects are great. I especially like the exterior underwater shots of the sub as it is depth charged. You actually see the hull being shaken apart and that . submarine looks very, very fragile.
This is nowhere near as good as Das Boot or my other favourite Submarine film The Enemy Below but I gave this film a 7.
Well worth a trip to the cinema.