U-571 Review
by "Berge Garabedian" (joblo AT sympatico DOT ca)April 18th, 2000
U-571
RATING: 7 /10 --> Good movie
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Okay, so the film doesn't exactly have the catchiest title in the world, but how could you go wrong with Harvey Keitel and singer/actor Jon Bon Jovi in the same movie? Well, uhhm....okay, forget that! All you have to remember is that this is a submarine movie, an action submarine movie, a fun, loud, easy-to-swallow action submarine movie. Slap in handsome naked pothead/bongo-man Matthew McConaughey, and you've got yourself a swingin' time!
PLOT:
World War II is raging on when an American Navy crew is sent to overtake a stranded Nazi U-boat (aka nasty sub), stuck somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Their mission: to capture their unique decoding device.
CRITIQUE:
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 say that much about this film surprised me, in fact, I can't say that anything about it really did. But I suppose there are only so many ways that one could tell a story in a sub. Lots of cramped quarters, an all-male crew tossing jargon upon jargon back and forth, others manning the electronic surveillance equipment diligently, everyone bracing for impact, or hoping for the non-impact. The proverbial "dive, dive, dive" bellow from the captain, the rookie member of the crew with his big moment to shine, the captain's difficult decision to make, the staple scene of the entire crew stripping down to their skibbies and getting "jiggy" with one another. Well, okay...that last one was just to see if you were paying attention! (Splashes)
All in all, the film does deliver on its intended purpose: to entertain. I thoroughly enjoyed the film while I was there, liked the loud booms and bangs of the detonations, felt like I was getting thrown around just like one of the crew. Really liked the actors, McConaughey in particular, with his great looks, great hair and subtle confidence...a perfect casting choice. Keitel was also decent in his second fiddle role, as were the rest of the dirty group, who all seemed real enough for me to care about. (Splashes) Of course, the screenplay doesn't really get too deep in respect to any of the characters, or the story for that matter (Nazis bad...Americans good), but these aren't exactly the types of films which accentuate character development. This film is about having fun, believing what you see, being entertained and made especially for those who enjoy the easy, crunchy, action movies. Admittedly, I could have done without the umpteen shots of people staring at the sky waiting for the eventual impact/non-impact or the cheesy dialogue here and there, but God bless America, because this movie took my mind off my crappy problems du jour and at the end of the day...that's what it's all about! Get the nachos, grab the better half, spread some salsa all around and have yourself a good time! (Splashes)
The (Splashes) references throughout my text are made to poke fun at a recurring line from the film which was just too good to pass up. And for all you Jovi fans who want to know how the man makes out in this film, allow me to put your minds at ease, since he does deliver a pretty decent performance. Of course, things do get a little slippery when wet, right? (Sorry, but I just had to!)
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
Director Jonathan Mostow recently dropped an email over at our good buddy Harry Knowles' infamous movie site, and offered him some behind-the-scenes pictures of the full-scale 600 ton diesel-powered submarine replica which they built especially for this film. If you'd like to see the pics, visit: http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=5693
Actor Jack Noseworthy also starred in director Mostow's second picture called BREAKDOWN starring Kurt Russell. Mostow's directorial debut came in 1989 when he helmed the comedy BEVERLY HILLS BODYSNATCHERS starring TV "Alice's" own Vic Tayback. Incidentally, Jack Noseworthy was also featured in a Bon Jovi video called "Always". Ironically, he co-stars with Jovi in this movie.
Jon Bon Jovi's birth name is John Francis Bongiovi. Jovi lost the lead role in CROW: CITY OF ANGELS to French actor Vincent Perez (Thank your lucky stars, Johnny boy!).
Harvey Keitel is a great actor who is also known for showing off his "goodies" onscreen in various pictures including THE PIANO, BAD LIEUTENANT and FINGERS. Rock on, Harv!
Review Date: April 17, 2000
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Writers: Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery and David Ayer
Producer: Dino DeLaurentiis
Actors: Matthew McConaughey as Lt. Andrew Tyler
Harvey Keitel as Chief Klough
Jon Bon Jovi as Lt. Pete Emmett
Genre: Thriller
Year of Release: 2000
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(c) 2000 Berge Garabedian
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
