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U-571


Reviewed by: Rachel Hughes
Genre: Action
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: Dolby 5.1 Surround, DTS 5.1 Surround
Language: English, French
Subtitle: English
Length: 1hr 57min
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 10-17-00
Studio: Universal
Commentary: Yes with Director Jonathan Mostow
Documentaries: None
Featurettes: Yes, Spotlight on Location
Filmography/Biography: Yes
Interviews: Yes, with Lt. Commander David Balme in Britain Captures U-110, and Vice Admiral Patrick Hannifin in A Submariners WWII Experience.
Trailers/TV Spots: Trailer for U-571, Ed TV, and Pitch Black
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: None
Music Video: None
Other: Creating and Construction U-571, Inside the Enigma, U.S. Naval Archives: Capturing U-505, Production Notes and Recommendations.
Cast and Crew: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, Jake Weber, David Keith, and Matthew Settle
Screenplay by: Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery and David Ayer
Produced by: Dino De Laurentis and Martha De Laurentis
Directed By: Jonathan Mostow
Music: Richard Marvin
The Review: U-571 is a story written and directed by Jonathan Mostow, whose first film was Breakdown starring Kurt Russell. Mostow did extensive research into WWII submarines and the Nazi coding device, called enigma machines. A crucial tactic in the Allied strategy was to capture enemy submarines for their enigma machines. He then took all of the different historical events and complied them into a fictional narrative. In U-571, a group of American submariners are called off of leave to capture a German submarine that has been crippled and is waiting to be rescued. They go out to sea disguised as the rescue sub in order to board the German sub and capture the enigma device. The film started out being exactly what you would expect, a taut, exciting WWII submarine adventure. As the German sub is waiting for the depth charges to come you can feel the tension and find yourself holding your breath in anticipation. Sadly, once the sub is crippled so is the tension. Within the first 30 min there is such a heavy handed use of foreshadowing that you can guess how the rest of the movie will play out. You can accurately guess who is going to die and who will survive. You know that McConaughey's character will have to choose who will live and who will die, and that the sub will go well below crush depth at some future point. While this does take some of the excitement out of the film, it doesn't rob it of all enjoyment. U-571 is a fun film if you let it wash over you, and don't think about the implausibility of the situation. When the film first came out there was a controversy over using Americans as the heroes of the movie. The two most significant captures of the enigma machine were both accomplished by the British. They understandably felt slighted. While one can sympathize, one has to remember that this is a fictionalized account. At the end of the film there is mention of the British ships that captured the enigmas. Furthermore, this DVD gives great credit to the British. It was never Mostow's intent to leave the British out, but he was making a film for American audiences.
Image and Sound The image of this picture could have been disastrous. The vast majority of the film is shot in cramped, dimly lit quarters. Fortunately the transfer was impeccable. The blacks are crisp with no evidence of grain. The unique use of lighting in some scenes comes through extremely well. The only drawback is that the party scene seems over lit. The flesh colors have an orange cast to them. However when making a war picture, sound is of the utmost importance. Here you will not be disappointed. The sound is truly incredible. You can hear the torpedoes move from one speaker to the next as they shoot across the water. The explosions threaten to shake your living room windows.
The Extras The film is packed with extra features, some of them good, and some not so good. First there is the menu. The menu features the side of a submarine with the selections on it. Every time you choose one, something goes whizzing by or explodes. Among the Bonus Material is the Spotlight on Location. This runs for a scant 13mins. While it does feature all of the main actors as well as the director and producers, it is nothing more than an extended trailer. It doesn't really spotlight anything, but at the very end there is a commercial for the U. S. Navy. Fortunately there are much more interesting items. Included in that is the Crating and Construction of U-571. This runs about 6min and shows how they rebuilt authentic submarines for the movie, and the attention paid to detail to make everything as authentic-looking as possible. Inside the Enigma features David Kahn a cryptologist. This runs for 7min and goes into the history of the enigma machine. He explains how it worked, and why it was so important to capture one. The next two features are interviews conducted by Mostow. The first is with Lt. Commander David Balme in Britain Captures the U-110. Lt. Commander Balme was the British officer who first went down into a captured German submarine to look for the enigma machine. His story is as interesting and gripping as the movie tried to be. The second interview is with Vice Admiral Patrick Hannifin, who was also the technical advisor on the film, in A Submariners WWII Experience. Vice Admiral Hannifin mainly talks about what it was like to be a submariner in the war, and the conditions that they had to endure. Next is the U.S. Naval Archives: Capturing the U-505. This runs like an old fashion new reel that used to be played before movies in theaters. It is black and white and very grainy. It runs for 3min and is extremely patriotic. To wrap up the special features there are a trailer for the movie, production notes, and the cast and filmmaker biographies. Finally there are recommendations for other films which include a trailer for Ed TV and Pitch Black.
Commentary Jonathan Mostow alone does the commentary track. Mostow talks through the entire film, which is not always the case when a director is doing one alone. Mostow is engaging and full of information. Since he did all the research and wrote the story, he goes into great detail about the history that inspired the movie, as well as the lengths he goes through to make it as authentic as possible. Furthermore, some of the things that seemed implausible during the movie, he explains that his research showed it to be acceptable. He also goes tells us about the actors he worked with, and how the sets were created. This is a highly informative commentary that adds a great deal to the film.
Final Words: This was an enjoyable, though predictable film. While it wasn't anyone's finest work, it did show the potential for several new young actors. If you are a fan of this movie, or WWII movies in general, this DVD special edition is a must for your collection. If you are not sure than rent this one of DVD for the incredible sound that you just can't get on VHS.


Send all Comments to Teakwood Productions
 June 17, 2001