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Extras: Spotlight on Location: The Making of U-571, Creating and
Constructing U-571, Inside the Enigma, Britain captures the U-110,
A Submariner's WWII Experience, US Naval Archives: Capturing the U-505,
Trailers, DVD-ROM content, Director's Commentary
Director:
Jonathan Mostow
(Breakdown, U-571, TV: From the Earth to the Moon (TV))
Producers:
Dino and Martha De Laurentis
Screenplay:
Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery and David Ayer
Music:
Richard Marvin
Cast:
Lieutenant Andrew Tyler: Matthew McConaughey
Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren: Bill Paxton
Chief Klough: Harvey Keitel
Lieutenant Pete Emmett: Jon Bon Jovi
Marine Major Coonan: David Keith
Kapitanlieutenant Wassner: Thomas Kretschmann
Lieutenant Hirsch: Jake Weber
Wentz: Jack Noseworthy
Trigger: Tom Guiry
Rabbit: Will Estes
Eddie: Terrence 'T.C.' Carson
Mazzola: Erik Palladino
Tank: Dave Power
Griggs: Derk Cheetwood
Ensign Larson: Matthew Settle
What will next door think?
These are the words that went through my mind whilst watching this film at
top volume and you will find out why as the review progresses.
It's World War II and the Americans are having it out against the Germans.
And the British? We're nowhere to be seen as a bunch of naval men led by
Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), Lieutenant Commander
Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton) and Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel),
with a fair supporting cast that includes Jake Weber, Jack Noseworthy,
Erik Palladino (E.R.'s Dave Malucci) and even pop star Jon Bon
Jovi.
Their shore leave is cut short because it's time to go back into action
and stop a U-boat full of pesky Germans from getting away with the Enigma
coding machine - that's the same one whose code was broken by Manchester's
mathematical genius Alan Turing who topped himself over pressure about
his sexual proclivities, but in this film the Americans have solved the puzzle
that allows to Germans to position their submarines where they like while
keeping schtum.
The film is presented in the original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio and is
anamorphic. Dark scenes inside the sub looked a little soft, but brighter
moments stood out perfectly. The average bitrate is 6.27Mb/s, often peaking
over 8Mb/s.
The sound IS perfect, without question. From the opening scene where the
German U-boat, the U-571 of the title, is set upon with depth charges, to
numerous explosions and action moments later on, it never fails to impress.
By way of an example, in the opener, the depth charges are fairly quiet at
first as they're dropped from a fair distance away, but as they catch up
with the Germans, the noise climbs to an almost unbearable level and one
that could easily make those with sensitive ears go deaf. Definitely one
of those reference moments!
Extras :
It's self-explanatory featurette-city here, with a 14-minute Spotlight on
Location: The Making of U-571, Creating and Constructing
U-571 (6 mins), Inside the Enigma (7 mins), Britain captures the
U-110 (9 mins), A Submariner's WWII Experience (8 mins) and
US Naval Archives: Capturing the U-505 (3 mins), all featuring cast
and crew interviews, or talk from authority types who have been there and
done that.
Trailers are included for this film and another Universal hit,
Pitch Black, as are Production Notes and Cast and Filmmakers'
Notes, plus you can sign up for a DVD Newsletter at
dvd.universalpictures.com
The DVD-ROM content consists of additional info about the film,
with sound clips and behind-the-scenes interviews. A Director's Commentary
rounds off the package.
To sum up the rest of this disc: 20 chapters isn't enough, the premier sound
options are in English only (same for subtitles), while the French get
Dolby Surround only. The main menu is animated and scored.
Overall, if you want a disc to show off your sound system, sonically,
this one will do for you, but the story certainly won't win any awards.
It's also much more preferable to the UK Region 2
release which not only doesn't include all the extras, has no subtitles and
misses out the DTS soundtrack, but is also, stupidly, framed at a 16:9
ratio instead of the cinema's 2.35:1. However, all is not quite lost since
the matte has been opened up to 16:9, as opposed to simply cropping the
sides.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
