Entertaining if not historically accurate, sometimes cliche.

Rating: 6/10 (9 October 2000)

This is an enjoyable film if you can ignore the re-writing of history and the often unbelievable plot premise. To their credit, at the end credits the makers of this film honor those who were involved in the capture of the actual Enigma equipment and documentation. If you read carefully (my 17-year-old daughter did not) you will notice that it was a British destroyer in 1941 which captured the first Enigma machine, not an American submarine (most American subs operated in the Pacific theater, I believe).

Also, the idea of using a regular submarine crew as a boarding party, rather than specially-trained troops (or even convential US Marines) was a real stretch, as was the speed at which they figured out how to operate the German U571.
If you are a fan of this genre, you may find some of the plot elements are a bit old hat (sitting out the depth charges, diving to a depth the sub supposedly cannot tolerate, etc.).
Altogether, though, I enjoyed the fast pacing, the special effects and direction, and especially the acting (although the normally-animated Bill Paxton was a bit wooden in his portayal).
Recommendation: see it, but don't believe it.