DVDs

U-571

Region 1

Region 4

By Richard Moore

With the wolf packs of German U-boats (submarines) seemingly about to starve Britain out of World War Two, the Allies needed to end the threats to its lifeline of maritime convoys.

The U-boats were coordinating their attacks and without being able to crack the German naval codes - ultra-secure in an Enigma coding machine - they were fighting a losing battle.

The key was getting Allied hands on a coding machine, but to do this they had to not only capture an enemy U-boat and grab the encoder, but also not let the Germans know that one had been taken. So, how to do it?

Well, U-571 takes you on a journey to hijack the vital equipment and while not a historically accurate mission, it is an exciting salt-water adventure.

The crew of a United States submarine is ordered on a secret mission to try to seize the U-boat 571, which has been damaged and is drifting with little power in the Atlantic.

Knowing that the Germans will send a rescue boat, the crew and the specialist intelligence officers put aboard know time is of the essence.

To go much further into the plot will ruin some pretty good twists and turns and people who want to see U-571 should be able to let the excitement build without some reviewer ruining it all for them.

The main character is Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matt McConaughey), who has just been passed over for promotion because he's not seen as being tough enough on the crew to command a submarine.

He is very well-supported in the acting stakes by Harvey Keitel, who plays the crusty old salt Chief to perfection. Other support actors include Jon Bon Jovi, who does very well (and doesn't sing), Bill Paxton and tough guy David Keith.

The look and feel of U-571 is real (for Hollywood) although it does not have the grimy realism of Das Boot.

While the imagery is excellent and the transfer spot-on, the technical star of U-571 is the sound.

You will begin to get a bit of a feel for life underwater when the boat's metal starts to creak at depth and your stomach acid may begin to rise as the enemy begins to "walk" depth charges towards the sub. But, the closer they get, the more sweaty the audio will have you and when they start to explode just next to the hull you will be running for the head (naval-speak for toilet).

As said, this is not Das Boot, but it was never meant to be and so should be enjoyed as the terrific action movie it is.

Conclusion:

Movie: 80%

DVD Extras: 85%