U-571

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U-571

PG-13

Released Apr 21, 2000

1h 56m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

117 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When a German U-571 submarine with a sophisticated encryption machine onboard is sunk during a World War II battle at sea, the Allies send an American Navy force led by Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey) to retrieve it for study. Boarding the German ship, the Americans' cover as a rescue force is quickly blown. Forced to take the crew hostage, the Americans lay their explosives and prepare to destroy the German vessel before the Nazis can send naval backup.

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Critics Consensus

Excellent cinematography and an interesting plot accompanied by a talented cast and crew make U-571 a tense thriller.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

A very tense and exciting war movie.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 29, 2010

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Time Out

Without much charge and even less depth.

Feb 9, 2006

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Louis B. Parks

Houston Chronicle

It's a wham-bam bumpy ride, great fun in the old-fashioned war movie tradition.

Rated: B

Jul 21, 2005

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

U-571 is junk as history; as a mindless Saturday night action flick, its pretty good

Rated: 3/5

Apr 26, 2022

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Tony Black

Cultural Conversation

Well-executed but troubling wartime historical revisionism.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 15, 2021

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John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews

... more like a Star Trek television episode

Rated: C

Aug 7, 2013

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Audience Member

A very good and under rated movie. Exceptionally cast and great acting as you'd expect. An easy movie to keep in your collection. As for submarine movies, other than maybe crimson tide- it's probably the best they've made.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/28/25

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Mark B

It works on a suspense and emotional level. You have to suspend a bit of belief but do that and sit back.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

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Stacey L

For a work of fiction, its not a bad watch. If you are looking for historical accuracy and can''t accept entertainment for entertainments sake, take a pass and bury your head in a history book. While it's true that the actual recovery of an Enigma machine and code books by the USA from u-505 came years after the British had, it doesn't lessen the significance of the sub, the code book and the machine. Hollywood did what Hollywood does and put a spin on things. Still worth watching.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

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john z

Rotten tomatoes has no clue what a good movie is. It's a waste of time looking at their ratings. If they rate something high, than its a shity movie

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/26/25

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Nol P

Many cannot just simply enjoy most films! Yes this has flaws and the acting is average but it is still half decent enough entertainment compared to most mindless awful yarn these days thrown together quick by Hollywood. Still a worthy watch. 3 of 5 stars.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/14/24

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Rod's R

What is the matter with film makers, do they think their audience are all stupid? Five minutes into the movie and the action culminates in the German U boat surfacing as it is damaged by a British destroyers depth charges. Er.... where is the destroyer? Gone! Nowhere to be seen. Joke of a film

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/10/24

Full Review

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Jonathan Mostow

Director

Matthew McConaughey

Lt. Andrew Tyler

Bill Paxton

Lt. Commander Mike Dahlgren

Harvey Keitel

Chief Klough

Jon Bon Jovi

Lt. Pete Emmett

Jake Weber

Lt. Hirsch

U-571: Official Clip - Tyler's Plan

2:31

U-571: Official Clip - She's Old, But She'll Hold

0:42

U-571: Official Clip - The Enigma Mission

1:54

U-571: Official Clip - Depth Charges

1:49

U-571: Official Clip - Infiltrating the German Sub

2:58

U-571: Official Clip - A Submarine Captain

1:55

U-571: Official Clip - The Skipper Always Knows

0:36

U-571: Official Clip - Men in the Water

2:41

U-571: Official Clip - Sinking the Destroyer

2:59

U-571: Official Clip - German U-Boat Attack

1:38

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Synopsis

When a German U-571 submarine with a sophisticated encryption machine onboard is sunk during a World War II battle at sea, the Allies send an American Navy force led by Lieutenant Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey) to retrieve it for study. Boarding the German ship, the Americans' cover as a rescue force is quickly blown. Forced to take the crew hostage, the Americans lay their explosives and prepare to destroy the German vessel before the Nazis can send naval backup.

Director: Jonathan Mostow
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis, Martha De Laurentiis
Screenwriter: Jonathan Mostow, Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery, David Ayer
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Canal Plus Image International
Rating: PG-13 (War Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 14, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $77.1M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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