Featured Audience Ratings

• Phil H

  
  Well this caused a hullabaloo upon release, such a big hullabaloo that it even involved our British Prime Minister, some MP's and eventually President Clinton!. I do recall at the time that Britain was not too pleased about the historical rigging so Clinton had to smooth things… More
  Well this caused a hullabaloo upon release, such a big hullabaloo that it even involved our British Prime Minister, some MP's and eventually President Clinton!. I do recall at the time that Britain was not too pleased about the historical rigging so Clinton had to smooth things over hehe was quite the headline. Anyway if you can see past the huge numerous historical inaccuracies this wartime submarine thriller is pure adventure and action in a real boys own way. I don't mean to take anything away from the real memory of the maritime war effort but this really is a rollicking good fun film that will grab you and not let go. A gripping plot surrounding the need to capture the Enigma cipher machine of the German U-boat U571. The crew of the US S-33 are sent in disguised as a German U-boat to infiltrate U571 and capture the machine without anyone ever knowing they were there. Of course things don't go to plan and this is where the thrills begin as the US crew fight to remain undetected and escape with their valuable cargo. At first the film isn't overly impressive visually, seems to cozy, but as the story progresses things seem to get better, probably due to the moisture, sweat, heat and dirt buildup on crew and set. External visuals are lovely as we get many excellent pan shots of a real sub ocean bound with people onboard (not sure whether they are the actual actors). Like other sub flicks ('Crimson Tide') most of the film takes place inside the German U-boat. Not as stunning or large as interior shots in said Scott flick but naturally size/tech varies between subs of then and now. What you do get is a very tight cramped experience which really offers an insight into how these boys lived in these tin cans. Realism is assured and is enough to give anyone a fear of confined spaces, the constant dripping from pipes and seals would do it for me. Cast is quite a unique mixed bag here too. 80's action men Paxton and Keith are reunited after 'The Lords of Discipline', Keith looking the slick 'Bond' type in his turtle neck and leather coat, a bit cliched maybe. Other main leads went to hard man Keitel alongside wannabe action hero/romcom regular McConaughey. British actor Weber struggled to maintain his US accent which unintentionally gave me some chuckles. Of course one noteworthy element was the inclusion of Jon Bon Jovi in the cast, I think his first major role in a proper major flick. At the time most did ask why they couldn't have found a real actor for the role, his presence certainly made you wonder about the films credibility before release, a rock star in a legitimate war film?. So with a mixed bag of various actors from various genres the film still managed to be one of the best war thrillers I've seen in a long while. Like I said the sub interior sequences are perfect and capture the hellish mood whilst the few special effects are nicely done and not over the top. Musical score doesn't quite hit the emotions as well as other war films, not overly memorable. Despite the Americanisation of the truth this film still wins and delivers a ripping yarn alongside a good dedication to the real men of the time. Love the films poster also.

• Universal D

  
  This star vehicle, set in WWll, actioner has the Yanks stealing a disabled German sub in the mid-Atlantic (much as the producers hope to steal the thunder of Das Boot). Plenty of macho posturing ensues. There are better WWll sub flicks out there. Das Boot comes to mind.

• Kase V

  
  Despite its impressive cast and collection of gripping scenes, 'U-571' proves to be just another film trying make its mark on the genre. Problem is, its forgotten as soon after its seen. It flounders under unrecognizable military dialogue that makes it somewhat difficult to… More
  Despite its impressive cast and collection of gripping scenes, 'U-571' proves to be just another film trying make its mark on the genre. Problem is, its forgotten as soon after its seen. It flounders under unrecognizable military dialogue that makes it somewhat difficult to follow, making it easy to lose interest halfway through. It delivers on many aspects on the genre and almost accomplishes what it was meant to. But it falls too short, and fails to be a significant WWII thriller.

• Lenny M

  
  Smalls from Sandlot is killin' Natsies.

• Jeff "

  
  U-571 is a submarine war film designed for the technically intempt or n audience who ignores fact. The film is entertaining, but the plot as usual surrounds Hereoic Americans. The events in the film were actually conducted by the British and they successfully captured many Enigma… More
  U-571 is a submarine war film designed for the technically intempt or n audience who ignores fact. The film is entertaining, but the plot as usual surrounds Hereoic Americans. The events in the film were actually conducted by the British and they successfully captured many Enigma coding materials from the Axis. The film proves ton be entertaining, but is packed with cliches and is definitely not accurate. U-571 is an Americanized story that ignores and insults the many Allies that America did have, hell The Americans only entered the war in 1941. As far as I'm concerned U-571 is an average film, but it doesn't do justice to the real story of capturing Enigma code machines. The film is flawed, but its a popcorn film, simple as that. It entertained me to say the least and I think there was a decent cast here, but as far as I'm concerned, this submatrine film is not the one to watch for awesome real WW II authencity that really captures the battle. For that film watch Das Boot instead. U-571 is simply a typical popcorn action film that breaks all the rules of drawing from facts, and instead the filmmakers took creative liberties to create this film. The result is a so-so film with good action. But this film is a slap in the face of the British because they are the ones who captured Enigma code materials during war, not the Americans. I personally think that the filmmakers could have been more authentic to the actual events that the film tries to portray with an American point of view. Instead, U-571 ends up being a half entertaining blunder that was only made for an audience that doesn't like to think. One of the reasons why the film is centered on Americans is because the film needed to find an audience, and what better way than to have a WWII sub film with Americans as the heroes? A film that is a decent enough popcorn flick with decent action, but the fact that it ignores the real story is insulting to the real heroes.

• Jason O

  
  "U-571" is a spectacular movie about WWII submariners with a plan to board a German ship in order to seize and obtain a German decoder called the Enigma. As difficult as it might sound, this is actually the easiest thing that the Allies will do the entire movie. Their naval… More
  "U-571" is a spectacular movie about WWII submariners with a plan to board a German ship in order to seize and obtain a German decoder called the Enigma. As difficult as it might sound, this is actually the easiest thing that the Allies will do the entire movie. Their naval submarine gets blown up after they board the German ship, so they're left having to take the German ship and use it as their own. Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey) is wanting very badly to become the captain of a naval submarine, but the one that is captain at the time (Bill Paxton) tells him that he doesn't think that he's ready to become a captain yet because he holds too much back and is too concerned with the life of a few men when the life of all his crew might be at stake. But there's not enough time to argue over whether he's fit enough to be a real captain or not because this is a major war that they're involved in. I can't say enough good things about how great of a movie "U-571" is. It has some great acting, especially by Matthew McConaughey and Harvey Keitel. It also has some spectacular special effects with all the explosions and underwater war sequences. I've seen a lot of great suspense movies, and now I can add "U-571" to that list. I was on the edge of my seat when the real war began and I was so interested and captivated by the movie's suspense and its effects that I literally had to force myself to blink, and I'm not exaggerating at all in the least sense. I recommend anybody who likes war, action, or suspense movies to get "U-571" before you get any other movie on the shelf. In my opinion, it puts other great submarine movies such as "The Hunt For Red October" and "Crimson Tide" to shame. If you just buy one movie this year, I would recommend buying "U-571." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001. Still a favorite!

• Jason S

  
  Pretty average movie. A really good cast though.

• Al S

  
  What a dissapointment. Such a lt down with a great cast. Very historically in correct and teriably made, the actions scenes are close to impossiable you cant fire live ammo in a sub what the hell, its too teriably done and anyone with a lick of sense both historically por cinimaticly… More
  What a dissapointment. Such a lt down with a great cast. Very historically in correct and teriably made, the actions scenes are close to impossiable you cant fire live ammo in a sub what the hell, its too teriably done and anyone with a lick of sense both historically por cinimaticly will hate this film.

• Stephen M

  
  I've always liked Harvey Keitel and Bill Paxton, so it pains me to see them in this typically offensive and insensitive piece of American revisionism. As others have said, the British had already captured an Enigma machine before the Americans had even entered the Second World… More
  I've always liked Harvey Keitel and Bill Paxton, so it pains me to see them in this typically offensive and insensitive piece of American revisionism. As others have said, the British had already captured an Enigma machine before the Americans had even entered the Second World War, and the important cryptanalysis work on the Enigma code was done first by the Polish and then the British. It would, however, be churlish to ignore the merits of the film which, if you can manage to keep your reservations in check, is efficiently made, well acted, tense and exciting at times. High praise indeed from someone who would rate the 'submarine movie' as one of the dullest sub-genres going.

• Steve K

  
  Suffers from cliches and poor editing decisions.

• Curtis L

  
  Cool sub movie. Nuff said.

• Mike S

  
  Not as good as Das Boot, but still pretty good.

• Dean M

  
  This claustrophobic WWII sub thriller is amazing as an old-fashioned, high testosterone epic, where cast members "do the right thing" at the right moment, and address each other with nicknames such as Rabbit and Tank.

• E.J. B

  
  It doesn't quite work as a cheap action flick, and if you're looking for a good u-boat epic, this is no substitution for Das Boot.

• Tom E

  
  It's the most realistic U-boat (submarine) movie I've ever seen

• Lanning :

  
  U-571: U owe me 116 minutes of my life back.

• Nate Z

  
  [font=Arial][color=darkred]Think of every major movie where the action centered on a submarine -- now add every cliche and a dash of boredom and 'U-571' is your dish.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The movie centers around the launch to retrieve the German… More
  [font=Arial][color=darkred]Think of every major movie where the action centered on a submarine -- now add every cliche and a dash of boredom and 'U-571' is your dish.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The movie centers around the launch to retrieve the German coding during the later stages of WWII and the brave men and women who risked their lives and honor out of duty for their fellow man. This sounds like a great premise for a movie but why must it be fictionalized and steamed for mobile suspense when I'm sure there are many heart-pounding stories of courage that are true. You'd also think with every major cliche of the action world that 'U-571' would at least be able to stand to its feet for excitememnt but it's quite easy to doze off on this underwater snoozer. The characters are all one-in-the-same that I had to identify them by haircut and height in order to know who was who at all times. And when some of them died it took me awhile to process which one it was.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]'U-571' is full of every old and new Hollywood convention itself that adds nothing to the story or enjoyment as a whole. The up and coming leader is advised he doesn't "have the stuff to let a man go in order to save others" so let's try and guess what position he will ultimately be put into. Why is the only black man in the movie a jive-talking chef and why does he jump at the controls and knows what to do INSTANTLY trouble's afoot. I guess a nuclear submarine and engineering pysics is so closely related to spices and stews. Of course everyone's favoriet bad guys (say it with me now together "Germans are always evil") are in the middle and slaughter a whole group of sea-faring surviviors just for the hell of it. Why do they do this? Because they're Germans, and they have to be more evil - so they kill innocent people.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]'U-571' isn't a terrible movie, it does hold some credible acting and set designs to bring the look andfeel of the 1940s to breathing life. The effects are well done but are sparratically used. Most of the tale takes place about trying to get past one Destroyer - just one. Two hours of this?![/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]'U-571' may be a prelude to the summer, and if it is it's going to be a long long movie season.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C [/color][/font]

• Kevin M

  
  An exciting, tense, and thrilling submarine movie. I was surprised at how much action there was, and it was constant. The acting is great too. Matthew McConaughey and Harvey Keitel really shine in their roles. The special effects are fantastic for their time. The best shot is when the… More
  An exciting, tense, and thrilling submarine movie. I was surprised at how much action there was, and it was constant. The acting is great too. Matthew McConaughey and Harvey Keitel really shine in their roles. The special effects are fantastic for their time. The best shot is when the U.S. Navy team fires a torpedo at a German submarine and it both implodes and explodes at the same time. The cinematography is very good as well. The camera is often hoisted on a mast as the submarine dives underwater or rises afloat. The story isn't revolutionary, but it doesn't have to be. You're here to watch Navy battles and submarines getting blown up, and there's plenty of it. It's a really well done movie, and extremely entertaining.

• Chris B

  
  Full Review Coming!

• Henrik S

  
  I am usually not that bothered when it comes to historical accuracy, especially in films which are evidently set in alternative universes or a fictional framework of reference but this insulting, blatant and utterly moronic depiction of American soldiers in WWII is one of the most… More
  I am usually not that bothered when it comes to historical accuracy, especially in films which are evidently set in alternative universes or a fictional framework of reference but this insulting, blatant and utterly moronic depiction of American soldiers in WWII is one of the most awful films I have seen in years. I will spare you the details but I will quote a German Submarine captain who was aksed about the historical details regarding this film: "There were submariens in the Atlantic during the second World War, they got that right". The film is an excercise in moronic, all-American propaganda and pits a bunch of fancy Cowboys against hordes of blabbering Germans who are depticted as inhumane savages. What else can you expect in a film featuring Bon Jovi ? The characters are just empty puppets, blurting out your usual submarine commands and racist comments, while looking seriously into that spot in the distance just above the lens of the camera. Horrible experience, stay away from it. HX

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