Review of U 571

Introduction

U-571 was always going to get a frosty reception this side of the Atlantic - that`s what happens when Hollywood re-writes history to make Americans look the heroes for the sake of getting bums on seats in the cinema.

As we well know, it was us British who got our hands on the Enigma machine (topically in the news at the moment after it was stolen and a ransom demanded).

The fictional plot can be summarised as follows: An American submarine crew are sent on a top-secret mission to intercept U-571, a crippled German submarine, and steal the Enigma code machine - this will allow the allies to intercept German messages and could change the course of the war. After the rendezvous with U-571, the American boat is sunk by another U-Boat and the Americans escape in U-571 only to be pursued by a German destroyer. Can the crew overcome the handicap of a damaged submarine, limited weaponry and a skeleton crew? Of course they can, this is Hollywood!

Video

As you would expect from a big budget film made last year, the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is superb throughout the film.

Set almost exclusively underwater in a submarine, there`s plenty of dark scenes, but the picture always remains detailed.

Special effects wise, there are plenty of shots of the submarine, surface ships, explosions etc which all look very good and authentic - except for one shot of a destroyer that has been torpedoed and seems to stop dead in the water - unlikely for thousands of tons of ship to stop in about 1 metre!

Audio

U-571 is the latest in a line of titles to include a Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtrack on the disc.

As my equipment is capable of playing the DTS soundtrack, I of course watched U-571 in DTS mode and the sound is fantastic.

Submarines give sound engineers plenty of scope for sound effects and this movie is no exception. Aside from the usual creaking of stressed metal which sound superb, there`s the sound of water which is so good, it had me wondering is my dishwasher or washing machine had been left on. When combined with torpedoes, explosions and gunfire, the sound always makes use of all channels and really adds to the atmosphere of the movie.

The highlight of the movie sonically though are the numerous explosions. The first, when a submarine gets torpedoes is spectacular, especially as you don`t have time to see it coming, however, when the destroyer lays chase to U-571 and they drop dozens of depth charges, your house will start to vibrate...you can really feel each and every explosion.

Features

There`s a good range of extras which include: Spotlight On Location: The Making of U-571; Feature Commentary with Director Jonathan Mostow; Creating and Constructing U-571; Inside The Enigma; Britain Captures the U-110; A Submariner’s WWII Experience; U.S. Naval Archives: Capturing the U-505 and Theatrical Trailer.

As this disc was brought round by a friend to watch and then taken away again, I was unable to view any of extra material.

The menus are well animated and easy to navigate.

U-571 comes in an Amaray case with a four page leaflet detailing chapter points and some general info about the movie.

Conclusion

If you ignore the historical inaccuracy of the plot, U-571 is quite an enjoyable movie. Admittedly, it`s not Oscar winning material, but it has the right ingredients for an enjoyable DVD experience, namely excellent picture and sound, plenty of action, good acting and no let up in the action for the entire running time. Perhaps this enjoyment was helped by me having expected the film to be total rubbish...having low expectations, it came as a pleasant surprise to be entertained.