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.

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Plot Keywords:

submarine movie | u boat | world war two | naval officer | nazi | 

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Taglines:

You won't come up for air until it's over!

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Genres:

Action | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for war violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie earned a rebuke from then Prime Minister of UK, Tony Blair, and many in the English community for its inaccurate depiction of the Americans' success with decoding the Nazi Enigma machine in 1941. USA had not even entered the war by then, let alone done any code breaking.

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Goofs

After Coonan first arrives at the dock, the sound of a diesel engine starting can be heard. The sound is a turbocharged General Motors EMD engine which would not have been used in a submarine (and was not developed until the late 1950s). The startup sound is most likely taken from a diesel locomotive.

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Quotes

Chief Klough: Well, Mister Tyler, if you ever need a chief, I'll go to sea with you anytime.

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Alternate Versions

The theatrical version contained some captions before the end credits, explaining that the Enigma was, in real-life, recovered by the British Royal Navy, and not by the American Navy as portrayed in this movie. The captions have been removed on the R2 DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Moby Dick Ala De Laurentiis: Martha De Laurentiis Remembers 'Orca' (2017)

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Soundtracks

Dein ist mein ganzes Herz
from "Das Land des Lächelns"
Written by Franz Lehár, Fritz Löhner-Beda, Ludwig Herzer
Performed by Benny Goodman

User Reviews

Mel Brooks does Das Boot

This movie is another one in a long line of pro-U.S. war films. You know the kind. Those are the films where north american soldiers are the only ones capable of any wit, wisdom, intelligence and courage.

Unfortunately, by now the rest of the world is a bit brighter, and we know that, really, Ben Affleck didn't save Great Britain from the Germans. There is an undeniable and deep love and respect for all veterans and U.S. soldiers that lost their lives in Europe during both World Wars from the rest of the world, the kind of respect that only comes from defending an ideal with their lives. It's Hollywood who is keen on destroying those heroes' reputation by making them seem so superior as to be ridiculous.

In summary, this film is a parody of the amazing "Das Boot". It's quite obvious that the same things will happen in any submarine: depth charges, marine battles, etc. But U-571 makes everything seem sweet: there is no claustrophobia, the crew gets along pretty well, they kill every german in sight, and even a destroyer. Das Boot shows a destroyed boat, terribly strained relationships, a sense of quiet desperation and resignation. Where U-571 plays glorious fanfare, Das Boot counters with powerful silence. Where Das Boot puts grime, U-571 substitutes pretty faces. Where Das Boot has realism, U-571 doesn't.

But most insulting of all, where englishmen should have been, U-571 cleverly substitutes them with U.S. soldiers. Oh, the nerve.

Bottom line: this movie makes for a great surround sound demo disc, or a nice coaster. Hollywood is still clueless when it comes to making war movies. If a future historian only had U.S. war movies to base history upon, he would decidedly declare the rest of the world sub-human idiots, and the U.S. civilization as a more evolved race.

A theory Hollywood debunks quite nicely.

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