Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel,
Jon Bon Jovi, Eric Palladino, T.C. Carson, Dave Power and Jack
Noseworthy
Heroically overblown but dramatically taught, U-571
is a giddy melding of action, thriller, and epic. For many
weekend warriors, that should be more than enough for an entertaining
afternoon.
Any objection to U-571 on critical ground misses
the point -- it's a complete fabrication from start to finish,
glossily dabbling in wartime pyrotechnics. So what if it plays
fast and loose with history? So what if it replaces actual drama
with ear-splitting sound effects? It's an imperfect entertainment,
to be sure -- even among submarine movies, it falls helplessly
short of both the genre's middle ground (THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER)
and the best of all time (DAS BOOT). That doesn't mean that U-571
isn't fun, even worthwhile. It only means that one's enjoyment
is dependent upon keeping critical eyes at bay.
In 1941, the HMS Bulldog (from the British Navy)
salvaged a German Enigma
machine from a stranded German U-boat. An Enigma machine, for
those who aren't war buffs, was an encryption device, allowing
the German Navy to communicate without fear of detection. Allied
forces were unable to crack the Enigma code. When the Bulldog
got their hands on the machine, it consequently altered the course
of the war.
U-571 takes this moment in history and squeezes
it like an orange, wringing the dramatic elements out of it while
leaving the actual facts behind. (America wasn't even in the War
in 1941.) Johnathan Mostow's film updates the story to 1942, and
turns the Bulldog into an American Naval squadron. Their
orders: to take a damaged German U-Boat by force, and take the
Enigma device.
The squad's caption (Bill Paxton) has been having a
row with his XO, Lt. Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), over
a skipped promotion. It's no surprise, really, when the U-Boat
mission goes wrong, and Tyler is left in charge of only a few
of his surviving men. They cover the range of naval stereotypes
pretty effectively, including the seasoned Caption of the Watch,
Klough (Harvey Keitel); the hothead, Mazzola (Erik Palladino);
the sole black member of the company, Eddie (T.C. Carson), who
doles out street-wise wisdom; and the timid half-German radio
monitor, Wentz (Jack Noseworthy). Really, it's a showcase for
McConaughey, though. As the untried leader, he manages to come
up with one ingenious solution after another in a spectacular
battle with a German Naval destroyer.
It's a credit to the cast and their director, Johnathan
Mostow, that U-571 is the nail-biter it is; although the
scenes follow predictable plot points, they are performed with
such emotional commitment that it's nearly impossible to avoid
being swept up in the moment. The film moves quickly, never resting
on any one character; if we don't get to know much about the ragtag
crew, it's at least exciting to watch them in action. While McConaughey
is quite serviceable as Tyler, it's the supporting players that
bring intensity to each frame. (McConaughey again proves a lesser
member of his generation of actors -- one wishes for the nuances
that Vince Vaughn, Paul Rudd, or even Ethan Hawke would have brought
to the role). Harvey Keitel hits every mark as the dependable,
rock-solid Klough (although one wonders what is God's name he
is doing in the movie). Noseworthy brings a welcome vulnerability
to the naval breast-beating, and Carson mines the dialogue for
welcome humor.
U-571 won't be joining anyone's list of great
war films, and its historical inaccuracies will keep it from receiving
PRIVATE RYAN-like tribute. As the season opener for the Summer
Blockbusters, however, it's more than adequate. Enjoy its dizzy,
light-as-cotton-candy action pleasures, and be glad. The cinematic
winter is over.
