Critic Reviews
U-571 (2000) Rank 5 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (198) reviews
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Reviews by Score:
Netflix (James Rocchi)
U-571 superbly mixes classic touches and brand-new thrills. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Netflix (James Rocchi)
Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
This film is comparable to Steven Speilberg's 1998 masterpiece Saving Private Ryan in many ways. Not only is it similar in story (a handful of U.S. servicemen stranded in enemy territory), but it keeps up the tension with comparable aplomb. Every sub ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Film Quips Online (John R. McEwen)
Daily-Reviews.com (Chuck Dowling)
Yes, U-571 is historically incorrect and there are surely some specifics in the plot that people who have been onboard a submarine will tell you "that couldn't happen", but the overall point of this film is entertainment. It succeeds fantastically. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Daily-Reviews.com (Chuck Dowling)
The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Aside from being entertained and thrilled (check out the spectacular sea explosions), one also gains a strong sense of pride and gratitude for the men who actually fought this war, who bravely did the stupidest things imaginable in the name of freedom. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
AboutFilm.com (Carlo Cavagna)
U-571 is exactly what it is advertised to be: a relentlessly taut, edge-of-your-seat action thriller. It's as good as a by-the-numbers "summer movie" can be. That itself is a notable achievement. Numerous big-budget and star-laden thrillers are released ...read the complete U-571 movie review at AboutFilm.com (Carlo Cavagna)
watchingmovies.com (Rob McKinnon)
...completely involving and a great ride for the audience ...read the complete U-571 movie review at watchingmovies.com (Rob McKinnon)
Lars Lindahl
I had lost all faith in PG13 movies that are intended for teenagers and adults. The last dozen or so that I have seen have all felt incomplete, as if the most crucial scene was deleted in order to obtain a more lucrative rating. However, after seeing ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Lars Lindahl
Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)
Overall, the music for U-571 has done what might have been expected for a
relatively unknown composer who scores a major film --it's turned people's
attention towards him. Aside from the obvious misdirection of the title theme,
Marvin ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)
The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
U-571, a fictional story inspired by several different WWII incidents, follows a group of sailors who are trying to capture the German's Engima code machine, so that they can find out where the U-boats are headed in time to prevent them from sinking the ...read the complete U-571 movie review at The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
Movies for Guys
But we enjoyed ourselves at this movie. Yes, I'll admit that we're a sucker for action and big explosions, no secret there. The flaws did not escape our notice, but we were entertained, and ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Movies for Guys
Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
A sweaty, claustrophobic potboiler that at its heart is not so much an action adventure movie as it is a suspenseful, triumph-of-the-human-spirit-type story. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Entertainment Today (Brent Simon)
DVD Clinic ("Dr. Drew")
A crew of American sailors (Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel) receives special orders to mount a covert takeover operation of a distressed German U-boat. They are to board the ship and recover the Enigma, a secret communications device. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at DVD Clinic ("Dr. Drew")
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
"Dive! Dive! Dive!"Those are tantalizing words for fans of wartime action films, for they signal the arrival of a submarine thriller.U-571is a crackerjack adventure, among the best of the limited but distinctive type.It's not the ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
Days of Thunder (Travis Hoover)
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
San Francisco Examiner (G. Allen Johnson)
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
There's always a lot of natural tension when a movie takes place in a submarine. There's the fact that what little air and space the men on board have is precious, and any of a hundred things could jeopardize the lives of any one of them. U-571 continues ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
ShowBIZ Data
A Universal Pictures and Studio Canal Presentation in Association with Dino De Laurentiis; Executive Produced by Hal Lieberman; Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Martha Di Laurentiis; Written by Jonathan Mostow and Sam Montgomery and David Ayer; ...read the complete U-571 movie review at ShowBIZ Data
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
A loud, fast-paced, simple story set within the always tense environment of a submarine, featuring a lot of repetitive "sub-talk", great looking men in cool Navy garb and the official christening of the summer popcorn flick season. (Splashes) I can't ...read the complete U-571 movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
John Beachem
Like I said, "U571" is mindless entertainment at its best; as a result, the dialogue sounds a bit forced at times and the events depicted are more than a little implausible (and quite historically inaccurate). Those few flaws aside, this movie is a blast. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at John Beachem
Scott Renshaw
The director in this case happens to be Jonathan Mostow, who previously helmed the relentless plot machine called BREAKDOWN. And he's very good at wringing every last drop of adrenaline out of his propulsive, generic tales. U571 wrinkles history a bit ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Scott Renshaw
Movieman's Guide to the Movies (Brian Oliver)
Edge of your seat action. Suspenseful moments. A sub under attack. If this entices you, then see U-571 . Matthew McConaughey stars as Lt. Andrew Tyler, a Navy man who is eager to take control of his own submarine but is halted by his commanding officer ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Movieman's Guide to the Movies (Brian Oliver)
Wolfpack Productions (Sujit 'Chief' Chawla)
Empire Magazine (--)
Jump Cut. Magazin für Film und Kritik
filmcritic.com sinks U-571
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
Fulvue Drive-in
filethirteen.com
THE WEEKLY MOVIE REVIEW
Movies for Guys
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
The BIG COMBO
Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
The Reel McCoy (Patrick McCoy)
What really stands out about U-571 is the environment, the aura, created aboard a WW-II U-Boat (I hate that word...submarine is much better). We get the feeling of something that takes a lot of effort to maneuver, control, and hold together. What was ...read the complete U-571 movie review at The Reel McCoy (Patrick McCoy)
Chad Polenz (Chad Polenz)
Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
A sturdy specimen of its waterlogged breed. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
An exciting, tense action flick in the grand tradition of war flicks. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
an engaging action story ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
FilmHead.com (Matt Heffernan)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Although U-571 probably lacks the full body adrenaline punch necessary for a summer release, its placement in late April makes sense. In terms of pure action/adventure, U-571 is a strong contender, and its big name cast will give it ...read the complete U-571 movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Cinema Signals by The Filmiliar Cineaste
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Movielocity Movie Reviews (Blake Kunisch)
I don't know if there's ever been a submarine movie I haven't liked - Crimson Tide, The Hunt for Red October, heck, even that Tom Arnold flick wasn't as bad as U-571. Well, let me qualify that statement - both are in extremely different genres - one a ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Movielocity Movie Reviews (Blake Kunisch)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
In "U-571," Matthew McConaughey plays Lt. Andrew Tyler, a young, determined Naval officer who is upset that he has not been commissioned as a full captain to lead his own submarine. When he confronts Lt. Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), the ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
I may have said this before, but it seems that World War II movies seem to keep that timeless touch, especially when it comes to movies. Director Jonathan Mostow, most widely-known for the Kurt Russell vehicle, Breakdown, was given a little more latitude ...read the complete U-571 movie review at DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
Natural Born Viewers ("Geeky Marcus")
It is never a bad idea to make a WWII submarine movie: isn't it like the
safest film genre one can think of? Come on, Jerry Bruckheimer produced a
submarine movie it actually doesn't suck! And now we also have the Nazis, so
there is really no way ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Natural Born Viewers ("Geeky Marcus")
Three Movie Buffs (Eric Nash)
The second flaw is what I call the unnecessary scene. A scene that makes no sense to have in the movie. For example: Matthew McConaughey takes a radioman from his sub to be interviewed by some 'government' types. The scene is serious as they ask the ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Eric Nash)
New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
An old-fashioned blockbuster. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
"U-571" is an action blockbuster film pure and simple, and a very good one at that. Like most of today's summer blockbusters there's next-to-no character development, a very thin plot, and lots of explosive and costly looking effects. However it also ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Despite all that, there's more than enough here to make the film worthwhile. McConaughey and Keitel are fun to watch, even when they don't have much to work with, and they get strong support from a pair of cameos -- Bill Paxton as Tyler's ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Flipside Movie Emporium (Rob Vaux)
Shay Casey
The plot? OK, so there are these men, see, and they're on a submarine, see, and they're trying to steal something from another submarine, see, and it doesn't quite go as planned and . . . oh. You want names, don't you? Fine: Lt. Andrew Tyler (Matthew ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Shay Casey
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
Reel.com
Jonathan Mostow is fast becoming the Brian De Palma of the '00s. Like the Untouchables director, Mostow has a knack for orchestrating scenes of complex suspense, which he displayed in his debut Breakdown. However, just as De Palma copies Hitchcock ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Reel.com
Parent Previews
If
the words "Dive! Dive! Dive!" make you recall
moments from great submarine movies full of tactical
ingenuity, then U-571 may be your kettle of fish.
When commanding officer Mike
Dahlgren's ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Parent Previews
Palo Alto Online (Jeanne Aufmuth)
filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
It's finally time to reassess the submarine movie to see if it's outlived its useful life. I was skeptical enough when Crimson Tide came out in 1995, feeling like a knockoff of The Hunt for Red October, itself an homage to Das Boot, it something of an ...read the complete U-571 movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
I don't know, does every generation now get the Das Boot it deserves World War II movies have long been out of favor, but Steven Spielberg and the History Channel can take the credit/blame for re-igniting interest and familiarity with the defining ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
When it comes to films that take place in submarines, World War II is still the favorite time period. There have been exceptions - The Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide spring to mind - but the majority of these underwater thrillers are set in the '40 ...read the complete U-571 movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
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The Critic's Homepage takes a dive with U-571
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Bosting comic and review
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
and not to plumb any real dramatic depths. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
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eye WEEKLY (Catharine Tunnacliffe)
Renaissance Online Magazine
U-571 is a riveting action thriller that is long on explosions and close calls but short on plot logic. This is the kind of movie where a couple of moments after something happens or a pivotal decision is made, you say to yourself: "Hey, wait a minute!" ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Renaissance Online Magazine
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Kino (Alessandro Bencivenni)
Enigma è il suggestivo nome di un dispositivo, simile ad una macchina da scrivere, che consentiva alle forze armate tedesche, durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, di comunicare in sicurezza attraverso un codice cifrato incomprensibile agli Alleati. Per ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Kino (Alessandro Bencivenni)
Houston Community Newspapers (Gary Brown)
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Blunt Review with Emily Blunt
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
An old-fashioned WW11 submarine movie, featuring an all-male cast, played with a square jawed military call for patriotism. There are no jokes, even though it could have used some to lighten its torpedo load. Every move made is seemingly life ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
The battle sequences are pretty good, however, with fairly convincing tactics and special effects as the subs and the ships on the surface play their cat and mouse games. The idea of men pushing machines to the limits of technical possibility in order ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
The King's Room (Paul Perkins)
U-571 Review By Paul Perkins
When I was
young I use to play a game called Battleship watching this movie makes me think
of that game. The movie is called U-571a white-knuckle World War
II suspense drama about an American submarine crew's battle ...read the complete U-571 movie review at The King's Room (Paul Perkins)
ToxicUniverse.com (John Nesbit)
I can’t recommend this movie to anyone looking for serious film, since there’s not much original here. On the other hand, if you’re just looking to waste a couple of hours on mindless fare and emerge feeling a little better about life and about ...read the complete U-571 movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (John Nesbit)
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TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Straightforwardly entertaining and a genuine nail-biter. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
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Tempi Moderni
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Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
Pop Entertainment.com
DVD Talk (Joshua Zyber)
A just-OK submarine thriller nowhere near the same league as, say, Das Boot or even The Hunt for Red October, U-571 is fairly enjoyable fluff but not much more. The HD DVD offers mostly good (though flawed) picture quality and lots of booming surround ...read the complete U-571 movie review at DVD Talk (Joshua Zyber)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
"U-571" is a clever wind-up toy of a movie, almost a trailer for a video game. Compared to "Das Boot" or "The Hunt for Red October," it's thin soup. The characters are perfunctory, the ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Globe and Mail (--)
Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
Cinema in Focus (Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin)
Bob Bloom
But "U571" does have a sort of oldfashioned innocence to it, and in its own corny way it is a fun outing.Set during World War II, the movie's plot revolves around the retrieval of an Enigma code machine from a German Uboat. With this machine the Allies ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Bob Bloom
Walter Frith
I also got the feeling that while watching this movie that someone behind the camera actually lost a lot of games of Battleship. You remember that Hasbro board game where people would exclaim "You sank my battleship!" I say this because the film is like ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Walter Frith
DigitalVD.de (Patrick Fiekers)
Shannon Patrick Sullivan
The plot here is straightforward, existing mainly as an excuse for deepsea dramatics. A British destroyer has crippled a German Uboat, the U571. The Allies are aware that the submarine is equipped with an Enigma device the key to unlocking Nazi ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Shannon Patrick Sullivan
Matinee Magazine (Chuck Rudolph)
It's an insult, not just to war veterans, but to the audience. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Matinee Magazine (Chuck Rudolph)
Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Maybe there have been enough submarine movies. Between "Das Boot", "Crimson Tide", "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "The Hunt for Red October", the submarine genre has pretty much been given its due. There's only so much you can do with a group of men ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Movie Parables (Michael Elliott)
Adds up to less than the sum of its individual parts, leaving disappointment in its wake. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Movie Parables (Michael Elliott)
GamePro.com ("Star Dingo")
Fotograma.com
Siempre lejos de aquella maravilla de Wolfang Petersen "El Barco" llega esta nueva realización que sigue los pasos de las pelÃculas de guerra bajo el agua.
Parece que luego de "Salvando al soldado Ryan" el género militar tiene una nueva fuerza que ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Fotograma.com
Harvey S. Karten
My gosh. There's so much tension in the eyes of the fellas in one of the German navy's unterwasserschiffen, so much sweat pouring down foreheads for most of this movie's 118 minutes, that you'd think that these sailors all live in a yellow submarine. The ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Harvey S. Karten
Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
Steve Rhodes
The movie's only serious flaw is that director Jonathan Mostow (BREAKDOWN), who shares the writing credits with Sam Montgomery and David Ayer, lets his movie drift at first as he takes too long setting up the plot. But, after the movie finds its sea ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Steve Rhodes
The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
I feel sympathy for Mostow, who spent eight years of his life on this project, and has come out with something that can't be taken seriously. It did fill me with respect for World War Two veterans, but only in the sense that if their experiences were ...read the complete U-571 movie review at The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
Cinematter (Matt Williams)
Jonathan Mostow directs this WWII-set action thriller about a U.S. attempt to steal a top-secret encryption device hidden aboard a U-Boat. Matthew McConaughey will play the Navy captain sent on the mission. Bill Paxton, Jake Weber, Harvey Keitel, Jon ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Cinematter (Matt Williams)
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
Film Written Magazine (Jaime N. Christley)
Everyone speaks in neat little war movie clichés to fill up the empty spaces. ...read the complete U-571 movie review at Film Written Magazine (Jaime N. Christley)
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