U-571 (Blu-ray)

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Submarine films are few and far between in Hollywood. Over recent years, we have seen Hollywood churn out "The Hunt For Red October," "K-19 Widowmaker" and "Crimson Tide." These three films have their merits, but the definitive submarine film does not come from Hollywood, but from Germany. Wolfgang Petersen´s film, "Das Boot (The Boat)," is the benchmark of submarine films. Petersen´s tale, which has been shown in three versions (original, director´s cut and miniseries), shows suspense and the psychological impact on the crew of a U-Boat. "The Hunt For Red October" and "Crimson Tide" offered some suspense, but though they were entertaining, the films really did not delve into any great depths about submarines. "U-571" is the only submarine pictures in recent years and it finds itself to be wonderfully entertaining and superior to all previous Hollywood efforts. It does not, however, reach the power of the twenty-five-year-old "Das Boot."

"U-571" is a very entertaining film. For those who are experts on underwater warfare, there are plot holes and historical inaccuracies. For casual fans of these underwater sardine cans or those looking to simply have a good time, "U-571" delivers as well as any good torpedo shot. Action and suspense are delivered numerous times throughout the film and soon every depth charge fired at the crew of the boat leaves the audience fearing of what may happen. Much more attention to detail is given here than recent efforts such as "October" or "Crimson Tide" and a genuine sense of being cramped in filthy close quarters is felt throughout the film. "Das Boot" did well to show this, as does "U-571," but the other American efforts make a submarine interior look like a penthouse at the Hilton. Again, "U-571" is not a true historical record of submarine warfare, and the events of the actual enigma captures are combined into one story here. British and American crews found success in capturing these devices. Though it may not be historically accurate, "U-571" certainly delivers an idea of what it was like in these small vessels that prowled beneath the ocean´s surface.

The film finds Lt. Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton) and his executive officer Lt. Andy Tyler (Matthew McConaughey) rushing to sea for a very secret mission. Their boat, the S-33 has been fitted with steel plating and dressed up to resemble a Nazi U-Boat. Marine Major Matthew Coonan (David Keith) takes to sea with the submarine´s crew and briefs them and trains them to board the German sub and overpower its crew and take the enigma machine before it can be destroyed or before a radio message can be sent back to change the keys for decoding on the machines. The mission does not go according to plan. The characters played by McConaughey, Jon Bon Jovi and Harvey Keitel find themselves on the U-571 boat after their S-33 is sunk. The German sub is crippled and they are pursued by German destroyers who need to sunk the captured submarine. The chase between the German destroyer and the German U-Boat is the real meat of the film and where it shines.

The actors who take part in this film are wonderful. Most of my original excitement to see "U-571" stemmed from the fact that Harvey Keitel and Bill Paxton were appearing in the picture. Keitel is an incredible actor and Paxton is the perfect example of the average man. I would go to see any movie where these actors appeared on screen together. Throw them in a submarine and I am most certainly game to spend my $30.00 for the Blu-ray release. In addition to these two fine actors, Matt McConaughey decided to throw on some clothes and leave the bongos home to put forth one of his best performances in recent times and "U-571" was one of his better action film performances over the years. McConaughey does well in the film and is the most prominent face throughout the picture. Jon Bon Jovi, David Keith and others appear throughout the film with good performances. This wasn´t a film that won its cast any gold statues and the performances far from deserved it, but the performances are good for an action / war film.

"U-571" may not be for everybody. However, I love submarine films and have a weak spot for them. If you do enjoy a good military thriller, war film or are a fellow sub buff, you won´t be disappointed after seeing "U-571." "Das Boot" may be my favorite, but "U-571" does a good job of taking the runner up position in the genre. I have seen numerous other submarine films over the years and this is one of the better ones. This film does not deliver the level of realism of Wolfgang Petersen´s epic, but it is light years ahead of anything else done by Hollywood. Of course, my favorite after these two films is the much older "Run Silent, Run Deep," as I was disappointed by "The Hunt For Red October," "Crimson Tide" and "K-19."

Video

Did you know that the filmmakers built the full-sized S-33 from scratch? This was one of the extremes taken by director Jonathan Mostow and his crew to make the film look as authentic as possible. "U-571" excels in this regard and may be the best looking submarine film ever made. The new Blu-ray transfer is culled from the same 1080p VC-1 master and is identical to its older high definition sibling. From the cramped and darkly lit scenes under the surface of the water to the sunny moments bobbing in the waves in view of the German destroyer, "U-571" never disappoints in being visually impressive. The vintage destroyers shown in the film and the individual rooms of the old submarine look as good as any war film ever made.