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U-571 (film)

From Alfawiki
U-571
Company typeFilm
IndustryMotion picture
Founded2000
Key people
Jonathan Mostow (director), Sam Montgomery (co-writer), David Ayer (co-writer)
ProductsSubmarine war film

U-571 is a submarine war film released in 2000, directed by Jonathan Mostow and co-written by Sam Montgomery and David Ayer. Featuring performances by Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, among others, the narrative centers on American submariners who infiltrate a German U-boat during World War II to obtain an Enigma cipher machine.

The movie achieved commercial success, earning $127 million against a production budget of $62 million, and secured the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. Although it garnered favorable critiques, the film's largely fictional storyline generated considerable debate.

Plot

Set in May 1942 amid the Battle of the Atlantic, the German submarine U-571 sustains damage inflicted by a British destroyer after it sinks a merchant vessel. The U-boat's commander, Kapitänleutnant Günther Wassner, issues a distress signal intercepted by Allied forces.

The United States Navy retrofits the submarine S-33 to mimic a German supply submersible with the objective of capturing the Enigma machine and destroying U-571. Lieutenant Tyler, serving as executive officer aboard S-33, contends with leadership tensions involving his commanding officer Dahlgren. The mission team includes Naval Intelligence officer Lt. Hirsch and Marine explosives expert Major Coonan.

Amidst turbulent weather conditions, the boarding party from S-33 successfully overtakes U-571, though communication lapses nearly jeopardize the operation. After securing control of the U-boat, S-33 is struck by torpedoes from a German supply submarine; several crew members perish. Dahlgren commands Tyler to dive with the surviving men aboard the captured sub. They confront and eliminate the hostile resupply vessel.

Tyler steers U-571 toward Land's End but must manage internal conflicts and sabotage attempts orchestrated by Wassner, who kills one crew member before being restrained. When a German destroyer approaches, Tyler orders an assault on its radio compartment to hinder transmission of their location. They evade depth charges by diving beneath the destroyer and simulate their destruction using debris and a corpse.

At a depth of 200 meters, structural damage causes instability within the submarine. Trigger undertakes a hazardous attempt to repressurize a flooded torpedo tube to launch an attack on the destroyer upon surfacing. Wassner accuses sabotage but is killed by Hirsch. The submarine surfaces under enemy fire; Trigger is trapped and drowns after sealing a valve. Tyler instructs Tank to fire the last torpedo, sinking the destroyer.

With severe flooding and damage compromising the vessel, the crew evacuates U-571 along with the Enigma machine and are subsequently rescued by a US Navy flying boat.

Cast

Production

Filming for U-571 took place in Mediterranean locations near Rome and Malta. Elements such as footage, sets, and models from this production were later repurposed for other films like Submerged and the fictional Ghostboat. A full-scale non-diving replica of the US submarine S-33 can be found in Grand Harbour, Valletta.

Initially rated "R" in the United States due to a beheading scene, modifications were made to achieve a "PG-13" rating by altering that sequence to depict a character being knocked overboard instead. A death scene involving Major Coonan was filmed but subsequently removed because of technical difficulties, leaving his ultimate fate unclear.

Critical reception

Overall critical response was positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 68% approval rating based on 117 reviews with an average score of 6.3/10, receiving commendations for its visual presentation and compelling storyline. Metacritic assigned it a score of 62 out of 100 from 35 critics. The film also enjoyed strong box office results.

Nevertheless, prominent reviewers such as Roger Ebert awarded it two stars out of four, criticizing its shallow character development and repetitive submarine action sequences. George Perry gave it two out of five stars, acknowledging solid performances but faulting weak character arcs and disordered action scenes. DVD critiques reflected similar opinions regarding underutilized cast members and narrative shortcomings. Conversely, some viewers found it enjoyable despite historical liberties.

Alex von Tunzelmann of The Guardian rated it "C-", remarking that its sole truthful element was its tagline: "Nine men are about to change history."

Awards and nominations

At the 73rd Academy Awards, U-571 received nominations for Best Sound (Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Rick Kline, Ivan Sharrock) and Best Sound Editing. It secured the award for Best Sound Editing but lost Best Sound to Gladiator.

Historical inaccuracies

The film’s narrative and characters are fictionalized, provoking controversy over historical distortions. This issue reached the House of Commons, where Labour MP Brian Jenkins condemned it as disrespectful toward British naval servicemen’s memory. Then Prime Minister Tony Blair concurred, highlighting British sacrifices during WWII. Pudsey MP Paul Truswell wrote to US President Bill Clinton, who acknowledged the film’s fictional status. Although producers declined requests to label it explicitly as fiction, closing credits dedicate the movie to Allied sailors who risked their lives capturing Enigma materials—recognizing efforts from both Royal Navy and US Navy personnel.

Author Hugh Sebag emphasized that while British contributions to Enigma captures were crucial, American involvement was also important yet frequently underestimated. Screenwriter David Ayer later expressed remorse for compromising historical accuracy for commercial gain, admitting that the film’s "americanisation" was motivated by market considerations targeting US audiences.

Historically, Polish cryptologists first broke Enigma codes in 1932 and shared their findings with Britain and France in 1939. The Royal Navy conducted the initial naval Enigma capture from U-110 on 9 May 1941—months prior to America’s entry into WWII. Subsequent British captures included U-559 in 1942; US forces seized U-505 in 1944 when Allied codebreakers were regularly decoding German naval communications.

The actual U-571, under Captain Gustav Lüssow, was never captured; it was lost with all hands west of Ireland in January 1944 following an attack by a Royal Australian Air Force Sunderland flying boat.

Contrary to the film's portrayal of U-boat crews shooting survivors from sunk ships, historical evidence shows crews often assisted survivors until Admiral Karl Dönitz issued the "Laconia order" in 1942 forbidding rescues after attacks on U-boats aiding survivors. Only one confirmed case exists of intentional attacks on survivors by U-boat personnel.

The real USS S-33 served in the Pacific theater from June 1942 until war’s end before being scrapped in 1946. The depiction of Lt. Cmdr. Dahlgren’s orders echoes final words of Medal of Honor recipient Lt. Cmdr. Howard W. Gilmore but is otherwise fictionalized. The Kriegsmarine destroyer Z-49, referenced in the movie, was never completed or commissioned.

Technical inaccuracies

The sonar "ping" sound effect featured in the film is inaccurate and was added purely for dramatic effect; during WWII, German Gruppenhorchgerät sonar produced more complex audio signals while British ASDIC operated at ultrasonic frequencies beyond human hearing.

Kriegsmarine destroyers generally operated near European coastal waters rather than in open Atlantic engagements depicted onscreen. The film's depiction of over eighty depth charges fired during an attack far exceeds typical loads—usually around thirty per vessel.

The sinking of a German resupply U-boat by U-571 is improbable given German sonar technology lagged behind British systems at that time. Historically, only one submerged submarine successfully sank another submerged target: sinking in 1945.

German supply submarines classified as Type XIV ("Milchkühe") lacked torpedo tubes or deck guns and were equipped solely with anti-aircraft weaponry; thus they could not engage offensively against other vessels.

See also

Sources

External links

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