U-571 (2000)

A German submarine is boarded by disguised American submariners trying to capture their Enigma cipher machine.

Director:

Jonathan Mostow

Writers:

Jonathan Mostow (story), Jonathan Mostow (screenplay)

Stars:

Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew McConaughey	...	Tyler
Bill Paxton	...	Dahlgren
Harvey Keitel	...	Chief
Jon Bon Jovi	...	Emmett
David Keith	...	Coonan
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Wassner
Jake Weber	...	Hirsch
Jack Noseworthy	...	Wentz
Tom Guiry	...	Trigger
Will Estes	...	Rabbit
Terrence 'T.C.' Carson	...	Eddie (as T.C. Carson)
Erik Palladino	...	Mazzola
Dave Power	...	Tank
Derk Cheetwood	...	Griggs
Matthew Settle	...	Larson

Storyline

In the midst of World War II, the battle below the seas rages. The Nazis have the upper edge as the Allies are unable to crack their war codes. That is, until a wrecked U-boat sends out an SOS signal, and the Allies realize this is their chance to seize the 'enigma coding machine'. But masquerading as Nazis and taking over the U-boat is the smallest of their problems. The action really begins when they get stranded on the U-boat.

---

Plot Keywords:

u boat | world war two | naval officer | nazi | 1940s | 

---

Taglines:

Heroes are ordinary men who do extraordinary things in extraordinary times.

---

Genres:

Action | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for war violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

When the "U-571" leaves the Navy port at the beginning of its turn, marine ships from the former East Germany (DDR) are shown in the background. The so-called "coast mine seekers" (corvettes), built for the East German Navy "Volksmarine" from the late 1960s, and in use until the end of the country, and the re-unification with West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany). These ships (and their slightly larger version "high-sea mine seekers" or corvette "Adler" (= Eagle in N.A.T.O. jargon)) where able to position, relocate, and destroy mines. They mainly served at the sea-frontier between east and west (Nato and Warsaw treaty) in the Baltic sea.

---

Goofs

The sonar ping sound effect is wrong. Throughout the movie you hear ping-and-return (echo) 2-tone sound effect, the return echo coming closer and closer as the ship passes overhead. This is the sound the sonar man on the ship (not the submarine) would hear: his sonar's ping and the echo off the sub. In the sub, you would hear the ship's ping and that's all. If you hear ping-and-return in a sub, then you are listening to the sound of the submarine's own active sonar.

---

Quotes

Lieutenant Andrew Tyler: What the hell are you doing, huh? This is NOT a God damn democracy!

---

Alternate Versions

The German version has a title card at the beginning, saying the movie is completely fictitious.

---

Connections

Edited into In Enemy Hands (2004)

---

Soundtracks

Lover, Come Back to Me
Written by Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II
(performed at the wedding reception while Dahlgreen is talking to Tyler)

User Reviews

A Good Utilization of Sound

As far as thrillers go, U-571 is a well made film. Although it's historical inaccuracies are awful, it still serves as a great theater experience. It won a well deserved Oscar for it's sound, which, in the right theater, makes the film well worth the admission. Sound is the key essential to U-571.

The characters are simple, the plot is simple, and the film probably won't haunt you long after you've seen it, but that's OK. Just sit back and enjoy the claustrophobic sets, the deafening sound effects, and the non-stop action for what it's worth.

Details

Official Sites:

West Video / Videoguide Company (russian)

Country:

France USA Italy

Language:

English German

Release Date:

21 April 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

U-571

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$62,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,553,310, 23 April 2000

Gross USA:

$77,122,415

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$127,666,415

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Canal Plus Image International, Dino De Laurentiis Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1