Rating: Summary: Total rubbish Review: For any person who knows a little about WWII history this movie is pure torture to watch.It is not so much that the whole plot is fantasy(the capture of the Enigma machine was done by the Royal Navy in very dangerous,but by far less spectacular, circumstances than the one depicted in the film)but that the whole atmosphere of the film is wrong.Pure common sense is affronted in many scenes as are historical facts(a few men man a submarine in an altogether impossible attack?a german destroyer and figther plane in the North Atlantic in 1942?Give me a break!) This film is a simple action movie in the way a 007 James Bond film is.If Hollywood wanted to make a film about the U.S submarine force in WWII it could have chosen many good stories from the Pacific theatre,like the one about the USS Wahoo. As it is this film is a travesty of a war movie.Want to see a good WWII submarine movie?Get Wolfgang Petersen's DAS BOOT.
Rating: Summary: Ranks with Red October as best sub movie Review: along with Das Boot. Wonderfully done. Edge of your seat suspense with excellent plot development and attention to detail. Interesting that some feel compelled to diss this movie based on historical inaccuracy because the British found the enigma. Since when did this movie claim to be historically correct? It's not Blackhawk Down, people. Also, I see a lot of the requisite snobbery from critics who think they are on the Academy Awards Committee and feel compelled to state the oldest complaint in the book: "lack of character development." Look, there's only so much dinner with wife and kids that I can handle in a movie. I easily identified with the characters, and anyone who wasn't completely rooting for Matthew McConaughey to pull this off probably has an insecurity complex her/himself. And when the German sub captain tried the morse code and was discovered? Talk about gut wrenching. "Lack of character development?" Oh please, at least be more original than that. The criticism of the lone black submariner is without merit. Very often on a World War 2 submarine, there were "token" blacks. This was not unusual. Trust me, this movie was not trying to make any political statement. It was meant to be an action movie that honored submariners, and it did it so with class and distinction. It was incredibly suspenseful, with excellent use of submarine language without spelling it all out, and good use of sound and cinematography in particular. The chief did an excellent job, too. I laughed at the criticism of Paxson as being too stoic a commander. How many naval vessel captains are gung-ho lunatics? Yea, like I'd want that in a commander. Trust me, if they were, they'd never reach captain. If you are a history buff or are from England and get all defensive that the British captured the enigma, then don't watch this. It will make you go into a tizzy. But if you are not a nationalistic freak and just want good entertainment that is also a tremendous tribute to any submariner of any country at any time, then U-571 is a suspenseful treat.
Rating: Summary: Great, great film. An instant classic. Great DVD Review: Review: Outstanding and gripping and action packed story, great script, great cinematography, fantastic performances (even by unknowns), fantastic sets, great Director's Commentary - Jonathan Mostow, (with additional cast and producer interviews), all star cast (see editors review above), great music... it just keeps going. If you want a good solid war movie full of heroes giving their lives for the greater cause, this is it! And, if you are not a war movie fan.... it doesn't have the gruesome scenes that plague most war movies. Story: Early in WWII the US lost 25% of its merchant marine fleet (cargo ships) right off the Atlantic Coast. Nazi subs crushed the US efforts to support the European theater with war materials. A Nazi sub is disabled and floating in the middle of the Atlantic and it becomes a race against time to get the sub and its "enigma machine" - the coding device used to send undecipherable messages. Because of the allied shipping losses, the enigma machine is more valuable than the crew sent to collect it. Matthew McConaughey, has to confront his own weaknesses as he becomes skipper of the disabled sub when his American sub is sunk, killing his skipper ( Bill Paxton) and its crew. McConaughey is left with a handful of crew members, and a captured German crewman. The story brings to life the reality and pain of decisions that must be made for the "greater good" during war, and unusual circumstances. Really everything in the movie and the DVD was great, making this a very exceptional DVD movie. Negatives: Absolutely none! (Unless you don't like war movies).
Rating: Summary: Appalling Revisionist History Review: This unsubtle attempt by Americans to claim credit for capturing the Enigma machine, probably the single most important event in the war, is frightening. I could talk about the bad acting and directing, but those aspects of the film pale in comparison to the enormous insult to the memory of those who actually performed this feat and those who worked on project Ultra. Anyone who cares about history will be disgusted that with the war over for only fifty five years, those who would like to rewrite the history books are already gaining credibility in Hollywood.
Rating: Summary: Excellent - If you're into Sub Movies Review: I really enjoyed this movie! The tense action will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
Rating: Summary: o brother... hollywood needs a history lesson Review: This film, U-571, will attempt to fool you into believing that American sailors were the ones who captured the Enigma machine, when in fact it was really the British who accomplished that feat. This just goes to show that Hollywood doesn't treat history with respect. Why couldn't they just have used British actors in the film? Why does everything Hollywood produce have to be americanized? And this is increasingly devestating when a lot of people today regard films like this as history. I once read a customer review of THE PATRIOT where the film was hailed as an historic lesson. Please! Read a book! Hollywood has got to start treating history with respect. If you want to see a fantastic submarine film, see Wolfgang Petersen's DAS BOOT. U-571 is just another Hollywood blunder, that's all about getting the numbers up at the box office.
Rating: Summary: OK Review: This movie is OK. It is not a good movie nor a bad movie. I enjoyed watching the crews interact and live in the unusual environment which a submarine provides. However, the story contains much of the trite content that has been used several times in war movies. You can take it or leave it.
Rating: Summary: a well-balanced and brilliantly produced war thriller Review: This is one of the best movies I have recently seen. While the start is a bit slow, the prelude to the mission helps us understand the characters a little bit more deeply. Once the boys are out on the boat, action, suspense, and drama all work in great balance. Some of the overdone war boat movie plot twists are evident--dying in the engine room, an escaped prisoner eliminating his guard, and so on. Those scenes are subtly executed and well-acted, so they feel comfortable rather than tedious. Jon Bon Jovi and ER's Dr. Melucci both put in surprisingly dynamic performances. While the plot resolution is a little bit hard to believe, it does the subject matter justice. War itself is hard to believe, and the heroes who fought for us are of incredible mettle. The picture is outstanding. There are lots of dark and gloomy submarine scenes, but they're very vivid with great contrast. The sound is to die for; the DTS soundtrack just smashes all the battle and explosive sounds, and the great mixing and production effort doesn't mask dialog or ambience. This is my currently favorite system demo disc.
Rating: Summary: Not As Good As Crimson Tide, But Its Still Worth It Review: I'm glad I gave this movie another try. I first saw this movie at a birthday party and had no disire to see it at the time. The whole time I just sat there and not paying a single bit of attention to the movie. Then my dad reccomended Crimson Tide to me, that was an awesome movie (If you haven't seen it, do as soon as possible). I wanted to see another Navy action movie so I decided to see this again (besides everybody at the birthday party loved it). I should've payed more attention that time. This movie was great! Tons of explosions (which sound really good on my surround-sound system). The action was great and it was all around a great, gripping, edge or your seat kind of movie. I've yet to The Hunt For Red October which I hear is even better than Crimson Tide but until then, U-571 is here to stay.
Rating: Summary: "Pure suspense and awesome adrenaline!" Review: U-571 (2000, PG-13 for War Violence and Brief Strong Language) THE GENRE: Action/Historical/War/Drama THE CAST: Harvey Keitel, Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Jon Bon Jovi. THE PLOT: An American Submarine crew is sent on a mission to steal a communication device from a Nazi U-boat, but soon are forced to take cover on the Nazi boat when their submarine is destroyed. WHAT WORKS: Realism, powerful performances and realistic depictions of WWII submarine battles. This also has rip roaring action sequences and very dramatic thrills! WHAT DOESN'T: (There really isn't anything that doesn't work) OVERALL: "This film is flat out great! It is one of the first best films of the new millenium! Jonathan Mostow has finally made a name for himself as a director! U-571 is excellent!"
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