One of the best movies of late

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2001)

U-571 is, without a doubt, one of the best movies I've seen in the past few years, if not ever. When I first saw it, I hadn't intended to watch it at all. I glimpsed a few moments, though, and couldn't leave.
I've always loved World War II movies, and personally think that U-571 ranks up there with the best of them. It was an action movie, but, unlike most, was not made just to be senselessly violent. It told a definite story. The production was remarkably well done. The acting was very good, too, and the characters well developed. They were honest, good, genuine people who you sympathized with. If anyone of them died or got injured, you felt bad for them. You missed them. When they were sitting in the water, listening for the depth charges, you leaned forward in your chair, listening with them. That is not a common trait of movies.
The story kept you involved and on the edge of your seat. There wasn't one moment I felt like I could leave, no matter how short, for fear I would miss something important. The living conditions on a submarine seemed to be accurate, too. Now, admittedly, it was the British, and not the Americans, who first captured the Enigma. However, not once does U-571 claim that historically it was, in fact, the Americans. They just wanted to tell the story of battles to capture Enigma equipment. Maybe they felt that the movie's predominantly American audience would sympathize better with an American sub. Besides, if they'd used a British submarine crew, people would just complain that their accents were too hard to understand. Believe me, I know.
All in all, I would give this movie my highest recommendation. If you want a documentary about exactly what happened in the war, go find one. If you want an tense, enthralling dramatization of World War II, see U-571.