Product Details

• Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, David Keith
• Directors: Jonathan Mostow
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Special Edition, NTSC
• Language: English, German
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: May 15, 2001
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (456 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005B6N7
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,822 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Taut and gripping, U-571 follows the exploits of a fictional team of World War II U.S. submariners who undertake a secret mission to capture a German Enigma machine to decode German documents. Writer-director Jonathan Mostow (Breakdown) tells an intense, economical tale, reminiscent of the best classic war films, while infusing it with modern sentiments.

Spring 1942: A crew of young submarine sailors are on a much-needed 48-hour liberty when they're suddenly called together and engaged in an expedition. At the helm are Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), and Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel). Other pivotal crew members include Tyler's Annapolis pal Lieutenant Pete Emmett (Jon Bon Jovi, proving his acting mettle) and Lieutenant Hirsch (Jake Weber), who, along with Marine Major Coonan (David Keith), organizes the mission. As much of the movie takes place in a submarine during WWII, there are inevitable comparisons with the technical masterpiece Das Boot, but Mostow's masterfully shot tale can hold its own.

McConaughey's Tyler is believably earnest as he comes to grips with the reality, tragedy, and consequence of being in command. While this explosion-filled film consistently maintains its tense pace (as did the underrated Breakdown), it also presents with surprising restraint a genuine human story--and the remarkable journey of an unexpected hero. --N.F. Mendoza

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars U-571, What Hollywood has Become, September 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: U-571 (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

U-571 has tremendous special effects, but so do millions of other movies. Know what else millions of other movies have? Weak plot, weak characterization, bad acting. Know what U-571 has? The same. It's true this film is griping, and it does keep you on the edge of your seat, but other that than there's not much else going for it. Like so many other movies U-571 relies on special effects to keep it afloat, which is why in the end it survived.

It was a good story, unfortunately they rushed to get it out, slapped in some dialoge, composited some special effects, and hired Bill Paxton. Fun to watch if you've got time to waste.

82 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well made movie, but rather unrealistic..., September 19, 2000

By	Benjamin Wecker (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: U-571 (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

The movie "U571" is a well made movie. Nice pictures, very good sound.

But the point, which I critize, is, that the film is rather unrealistic. Think about the American soldiers, who learn how to use an alien ship during a fight. Moreover they are able to repair the boat and to destroy a large battle ship with only one shot.

At least, as some of other writers already said, hollywood changes historical facts for a better selling in the USA. And that should nobody do, especially with such a special topic like the World War 2.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars U-need-a-better-story, May 12, 2000

By A Customer

A wonderful historical premise, a promising cast, and a writer-director who has previously demonstrated some real talent, all only serve to make this cliched and boring film even more disappointing. This is allegedly an action movie with an emotional subtext, but it fails to deliver on both counts. Despite the high-concept - "US navy intercepts U-boat to steal Enigma code machine, and it all goes horribly wrong" - nothing much really happens. The commandeered U-boat is damaged and almost out of torpedoes, so the hapless American pirates spend the next hour limping around the ocean floor wondering how they're going to get out of this mess. I expected so much more from this - more action, more tension, more story. It feels like they shot the second draft of the screenplay - the one where the hero's character is only half-developed and some of the plot points still need to be worked out. It looks hurriedly cobbled together, too, with special effects that are annoyingly second-rate and some pretty static camera work. This wasn't a mega-budget movie, so maybe they spent most of the money on the cast. Yet this doesn't pay off, either, because the cast is wasted. They're given nothing to do. Paxton and Keitel have about 20 lines between them, and McConaughey just broods. Jon Bon Jovi disappears so early you're likely to forget he was ever in it. The ultimate problem, however, isn't the budget. You don't need a huge budget to make a decent submarine movie. You need a great story. "The Hunt For Red October" and "Crimson Tide" both rely on great stories more than special effects. "U-571" has a great story IDEA, but it's under-developed. And it isn't helped by what has to be the most gratingly banal score since "Eyes Wide Shut".