Film Torpedoes The Competition

Mon., May 8, 2000

Dave Rinehart Ferris

“U-571” (Rated PG-13)

War movies are often unrivaled when it comes to sheer terror. Combat in films, when well done, provides an intense, nerve-wracking experience that no other medium can duplicate.

Take that intensity and shove it into an iron beast 300 feet underwater, and you have “U-571,” the latest in the submarine warfare movies. Boasting an excellent story and an A-list cast and replete with suspense, “U-571” is an epic spectacle undeserving of anything but the big screen.

As the opening narrative informs us, “Allies are losing World War II due to the inability to decode Nazi transmissions sent between U-Boats.” Therefore, the U.S. deploys a diverse Naval crew to locate U-571, a ship carrying several codebooks necessary to diffuse the Nazi threat.

Posing as a German resupply ship, the men violently overtake the vessel and detain the codebooks. But when their own ship is torpedoed, the Americans are forced to man U-571 for their return home.

So ensues a tension-laden, sweaty palms-inducing ride as the crew avoids being scuttled at all costs. The suspense in “U-571” is unrivaled by any other thriller this year. It is one of the few films that can make moments of total silence and total confusion equally terrifying. But if you’re in a theater with an excellent sound system, the tension increases tenfold.

The suspense is played out perfectly on the faces of the young ensemble cast, helmed by several talented veterans. “U-571” surfaces as one of the best thrillers of the year, and is not to be missed in theaters.

Grade: A

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