U-571
(2000 War/Action/Suspense, Rated M)
THE worth of submarine movies are usually measured by Das Boot, the Wolfgang Petersen periscope masterpiece which seized the world in 1982.
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U-571 hasn't the intensity of its German cousin and doesn't deliver the same searing anti-war message, but in terms of excitement and teeth-clenching tension, U-571 is paralysing in its grip.
Inspired by actual WW2 events, the film tells of a daring 1942 mission in which the crew of a vintage American sub, decked out to resemble a U-boat, board a disabled German vessel to capture a top secret Enigma coding device which will save Allied lives and help win the war.
Disaster strikes when the U.S. sub is blown out of the water, stranding the boarding-party on the stricken foreign sub with few clues on how to operate it and vulnerable to attack from their own fleet, as well as the German.
Matthew McConaughey heads the cast as the officer left in command; Harvey Keitel is the Chief, loyal to his C.O., even one wet behind the ears.
The film isn't as much about the characters as it is about the predicament as things get pretty jittery down there in that rickety old tub, rattled by depth charges, leaking like a rusty bucket and stalked by battleships above.
So convincing is the hardware that not a rivet in that floating coffin looks out of place and it's no coincidence that a key production designer also worked on Das Boot.
Writer/director Jonathan Mostow knew he couldn't make a better submarine movie than the mightiest of all, but U-571 sinks all others. * * * * * Free on YouTube (note: posted as U-572).
Also recommended: **** What's The Matter With Helen? (1972 Debbie Reynolds).
Fun, quirky thriller: free on You Tube in ten parts, all linked.
