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SummaryA team of American seamen, disguised as soldiers on a German rescue submarine, sneak aboard a disabled German U-Boat in an attempt to capture the Enigma machine, a master encryption device which has enabled Axis forces to execute maritime attacks without fear of interference or interception by the Allies.

U-571

Metascore
Generally Favorable
62
User score
Generally Favorable
6.9
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
63% Positive
22 Reviews
31% Mixed
11 Reviews
6% Negative
2 Reviews
  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
San Francisco Chronicle
Two hours of nonstop, nail-biting tension and anxiety.
80
Village Voice
It's a simple pleasure watching an American movie that respects genre, knows its limitations, and genuflects at the memory of Don Siegel in the age of Spielberg.
User score
Generally Favorable
61% Positive
36 Ratings
31% Mixed
18 Ratings
8% Negative
5 Ratings
  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
Sep 9, 2025
7
Voodoo123
U571 cashes in on the revitalised ww2 movie/tv wave restarted in tgr late 90s by spielberg in private ryan, instead here giving us a "naval" flavour in this production. Sacrificing technical and historical accuracy in favour of sheer spectacle, it serves well enough to entertain throughout its well paced runtime. It looked and sounded amazing on my 85inch 4k dolbyvision setup. For genre fans this is a must.
Dec 19, 2015
7
Spangle
U-571 has a lot going for it. Now, it may not be the most historically accurate film ever made, but is certainly damn good entertainment. Incredibly tense and thrilling, there is rarely a moment you are not clinging to the edge of your seat for dear life. The tension built by director Jonathan Mostow certainly pays off too, with a great third cast. Additionally, the sound in this film is fantastic. It nearly surrounds you and would be a fantastic film for IMAX nowadays. The cinematography is also very good, as is the cast led by Matthew McConaughey, Harvey Keitel, and Bill Paxton. Now, U-571 certainly is not a groundbreaking film in any way, but that does not mean it is bad. Quite the opposite actually, as it manages to entertain throughout even if the path it takes it quite familiar.
70
Film.com
One sour note is Richard Marvin's derivative score. It's just awful and often pulls the movie down.
70
Washington Post
It pulps you, but it doesn't enlighten you.
60
TV Guide Magazine
It's straightforwardly entertaining and a genuine nail-biter.
50
Miami Herald
It''s loud and flashy and fun to look at, but you''ll grow tired of it very quickly.
30
Variety
The submarine goes deep but the story never does in U-571, a good old-fashioned WWII picture that is exciting in only the most superficial way.
See All 35 Critic Reviews
Sep 13, 2013
7
MamaTLF
An excellent presentation of a Atlantic front in the World War 2. Although the movie has clichés and over-hyped drama it is interesting, intriguing and entertaining.
Sep 20, 2017
6
eva3si0n
The quite good movie about submariners. The movie has turned out one many better than U-429 of "In Enemy Hands". Here have at least shown fight of people and real fritzes. And so a plot totally ludicrous, diluted with the American partiotizm.
Sep 13, 2019
5
kianooshark
jon bon jovi in this film .thats a good dedicate for all army men saler man and ubots mens
Nov 19, 2025
3
Sml1960
Regardless of its accuracies, it’s a bit richhaving Americans taking credit for such a pivotal event. But it’s not entirely unexpected
Nov 18, 2017
3
Broyax
Les films de sous-marin, c'est un genre assurément difficile et délicat, car après Das Boot (Le Bateau) de Wolfgang Petersen, n'importe quel film qui tente de près ou de loin de s'en approcher ou ne fût-ce qu'effleurer le sujet en règle générale, a l'air d'une endive avariée. Du reste, U-571 a pour lui le prétexte historique, celui de dérober la machine Enigma au nez et à la barbe des Allemands... Et à dire vrai, on y croit volontiers, au moins pendant le premier tiers. La réalisation est de bonne facture, le scénario se déroule avec rigueur et les acteurs font le boulot, malgré Mathieu MacConnard bellâtre incompétent de son triste état. Hélas, passé le premier tiers, le film prend progressivement l'eau de toutes parts, les fissures se transforment en trous béants, puis coule le machin par le fond jusqu'aux abysses insondables du grand guignol et du foutage de gueule. On ne demande certes pas une précision historique de haute volée, juste un minimum de vraisemblance ! mais là avec U-571, c'est beaucoup trop demander, voyez-vous... On a donc des situations de plus en plus ubuesques qui confinent au grotesque, à moins que ce ne soit une caricature plus ou moins involontaire du film de guerre sous-marinier : auquel cas, ce n'est même pas drôle y compris au 40ème degré. Voilà qui est donc fort regrettable...
See All 7 User Reviews
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  • Universal Pictures
  • Canal Plus Image International
  • Dino De Laurentiis Company
Apr 21, 2000
1 h 56 m
PG-13
You won't come up for air until it's over!
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
• 2 Nominations
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
• 2 Nominations
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