U-571

December 12, 2004

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 120 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Movies For Guys’ Original Review of the Theatrical Release

U-571

The operative word for this movie is “entertainment”. Although the movie opens with some text that might make you think you’re getting a movie based on actual historical events, what you’re really getting is just a hellacious action flick that happens to be set during World War II.

And the movie delivers on the promise of action and entertainment in a huge way. The film looks great with very good special effects work, and it sounds even better. You’ll want to see this one in a theater with a big screen and good sound system. There’s tons of booms and the movie does an ok job of creating some intense, albeit predictable, scenes.

The movie stars Matthew McConaughey and Bill Paxton, the Executive Officer and Skipper respectively of a U.S. submarine in World War II ordered on a top secret mission. Most everything that can go wrong in this mission does, and we’re along for the ride as the crew fights for their lives.

I suspect many critics will cut this movie to shreds as there are alot of things to criticize about this movie. It is predictable and the technical and historical errors are too numerous to mention. And if you apply the inevitable comparisons to submarine classics like Das Boot and The Hunt for Red October, it does not measure up in terms of realism and intensity.

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 that’s what’s important.

Posted by Billy Bob | Filed Under 4 Stars, Action, Bill Paxton, DVD, David Keith, Harvey Keitel, Matthew McConaughey, PG-13