Movie Review by: Michelle Tan
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'U-571' is a World War II action
drama that follows the tradition of fictional tales set against
the backdrop of history. Loosely based on an actual undersea
mission performed by the British during WWII, director Jonathan
Mostow took the liberty of altering the events to make the
Americans the heroes of the action-packed story.
Set in 1942, a U.S. military unit
sets out on a daring mission to heist the infamous German decoding
device, the Enigma, located on a Nazi submarine. This will give
the Allies the advantage they need to win the war. When the sub is
seriously damaged at sea, a Navy crew led by Capt. Mike Dahlgren
(Bill Paxton) and Marine Major Coonan (David Keith) sets out to
locate it.
Their secret assignment is to
masquerade as a re-supply ship and, disguised in German uniforms,
storm aboard the damaged vessel and seize its Enigma coding
machine. Meanwhile the Germans have also responded to the stranded
sub's distress call and what transpires propelled nine American
sailors into a most dangerous and unusual situation. Everything
that could go wrong does, as the adventure starts and builds up to
full throttle.
But the focus of the story is
really on Lt. Andrew Tyler, played by Matthew McConaughey, who
suddenly has to shoulder some awesome responsibilities and prove
his leadership ability in this crisis situation. A lot of quick
thinking and decisive action is needed and for the longest time
you don't know if McConaughey's character is going to cut it,
especially when self-doubt is apparent on his nerve-racked
forehead. McConaughey makes an impressive action figure, and to
think I have always thought of him as a pip-squeak kind of actor.
Cinematographer Oliver Wood does
excellent work, capturing on film the stifling, claustrophobia and
emotional stress of being in the path of deadly torpedoes and the
terror of battle at sea.
However, I wondered at the
implausibility as to how our heros are able to learn to maneuver
this foreign submarine so quickly and easily, and why they appear
to have more success with than the Germans did. Despite its
predictable script, the movie offers plenty of furious action,
occasional suspense and lots of super-loud booms. It definitely
will leave you bated breath and effectively perched on the edge of
your seats as the action and suspense flow at a masterful pace.
'U-571' is a thoroughly good war
picture that is well worth seeing on the big screen in a cinema
equipped with a first-rate sound system for the full sonic effect.
'U-571' is sure to take you on quite a ride.
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Lt. Commander Mike Dahlgren
skippers the S-33, a vintage U.S. WWI submarine in the World War II. Like the Trojan horse
of Greek mythology, their craft has been rigged to resemble the Nazi U-boat, and the men
are to pose as Germans and capture the Nazi submarine which has a valuable top-secret
coding device that the Allies needs. The mission must be conducted in total secrecy, as
seizing this device without the enemy's knowledge is the only way for Allied intelligence
to decipher their movements. Following an unexpected turn of events, this group of
American sailors become trapped in the enemy's vessel, deep in hostile waters, and at a
major disadvantage as to how to operate the foreign sub. The destiny of these nine
ordinary men, as well as the fate of their mission, will ultimately depend on their
camaraderie, their instinct, their battle against time and a battle against their own
fears. 
