Das Boot, v2.0 (A Good Thing)

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2000)

I wasn't around in 1941, and the closest I've been to a submerged submarine was at DisneyLand. However, if there's any accuracy at all in this movie as to what life is like on a seaborne submarine, I should thank my lucky stars for this....
Nominally, U-571 is about an American attempt to recover an ENIMGA cipher machine from a disabled German submarine. ENIGMA was used extensively by the Nazis to send secure communications to the various fronts (and even domestically), and the capture of such a device had the potential of shaving years off of a godawful war.
Things don't go smoothly however, and the crew is soon fighting for its life. ENIGMA takes a back seat as the crew tries to escape in one piece in the middle of a war-ravaged ocean.
I like this movie. The tension in some of the scenes (which I won't mention) was incredible, even more so than the early 80s movie "Das Boot". If you enjoyed that movie, you will enjoy this one (IMHO) even more.

The one nit I feel obligated to pick is the ending, which felt somewhat contrived. [*Potential Spolier Warning*] As I remember, torpedos weren't all that reliable in 1941, and the munitions magazine was set more towards the middle of the ship, not the bow. This movie ended on one helluva lucky shot. However...'twas still cool. :) 8/10