DIRECTOR
Jonathan Mostow

CAST
Matthew McConaughey, Harvey Keitel, Bill Paxton, Jon Bon Jovi, Jack Noseworthy

MPAA RATING
PG-13

RUNNING TIME
117 Minutes

STUDIO
Universal

Without getting too much into the plot, Matthew McConaughey is a young Lt. who's been passed over to command his own sub. Eventually, he and some of his crew members manage to get on board damaged German U-boat, which has an Enigma machine that is used to cypher messages. McConaughey and his men have disguised themselves as German officers and must take over the sub before the German rescuers arrive.

And now they have ceased control of the sub, a large German destroyer heads fast for the now-American sub. As the crew dodges cannons, and diving underwater, praying that the hundreds of depth chargers the Nazis are throwing overboard doesn't blast them to bits, you begin to feel the intensity at full throttle.

Mostow should have been credited more for his BREAKDOWN, which combines not only action, but just sheer suspense. He also succeeds with this movie, even more. You will appreciate more for being a big budget action film rather than a DAS BOOT type film. The movie's total lack of glamour was also very nice to see, as most of Hollywood's action movies are ruined by all the gloss.

This movie is filthy, dirty, and damp. That's the way we like our real action adventures. With a strong cast, and the ultra-rapid pace, U-571 should be another hit for Universal. And they don't have STAR WARS lurking over their shoulder this Summer.