U-571 (2000)
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American submariners must board a crippled German U-boat to seize a vital Enigma cipher machine during World War II.
The story
During the Battle of the Atlantic in May 1942, the German U-boat U-571 is severely damaged by British depth charges, leaving its engines crippled and its engineers killed. Allied intelligence intercepts a distress call, prompting the US Navy to modify the submarine S-33 to resemble a German resupply vessel. The S-33 crew is tasked with a dangerous mission: board the U-571, steal the Enigma machine coding device, and sink the submarine. Amidst a storm, the American boarding party successfully overwhelms the Germans, but they soon find themselves in a high-stakes struggle to secure the technology while facing threats from other German vessels.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In May 1942, the German U-boat U-571 is crippled by British depth charges. The US Navy modifies the S-33 to look like a German resupply sub to intercept the U-571 and steal its Enigma machine. The S-33 crew, including a German-fluent radioman and a Marine explosives expert, boards the U-571 during a storm. After a violent skirmish where several Americans are killed, the survivors of the boarding party, led by Lieutenant Tyler, take control of the U-571. They discover two German survivors: a cook and the commander, Wassner, who disguises himself as an electrician. As they attempt to navigate toward Land's End, they are pursued by German reconnaissance and a destroyer. Internal tensions rise as crew members question Tyler's leadership. Wassner eventually escapes his captivity, sabotages the motor, and kills a crew member. After a series of desperate maneuvers, including a tense underwater duel with a destroyer, Tyler manages to launch a final torpedo to sink the pursuing ship. The heavily damaged U-571 is eventually abandoned and sinks, but the Americans successfully escape with the Enigma machine aboard a US Navy PBY Catalina flying boat.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 116
- Production countries
- United States; France
- Original languages
- English; German
- Directors
- Jonathan Mostow
- Writers
- Jonathan Mostow · story; Jonathan Mostow · screenplay; Sam Montgomery · screenplay; David Ayer · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Matthew McConaughey · Lieutenant Andrew Tyler; Bill Paxton · Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren; Harvey Keitel · Chief Gunner's Mate Henry Keough; Jon Bon Jovi · Lieutenant Pete Emmett; Jake Weber · Lieutenant Michael Hirsch; Matthew Settle · Ensign Keith Larson; David Keith · Major Matthew Coonan; Thomas Kretschmann · Kapitänleutnant Günther Wassner
- Genres
- submarine film; action; war
- Themes
- warfare; espionage; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- tense; thriller
- Premise and plot tags
- historical fiction; submarine warfare; military action
- Reception
- The film was a financial and critical success, receiving generally positive reviews from critics, though its fictionalized history sparked controversy.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 68% · review count: 117; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 35; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+-to-F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Sound Editing · won
- Production trivia
- The film was originally rated R for a beheading scene but was changed to PG-13.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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