Lt.Commander. Dahlgren (Bill Paxton) is the skipper of the S-33, adebilitated United States World War I submarine that was recom-missionedand refitted with equipment and weapons. The ship embarks on a dangerousWorld War II mission into enemy waters. Once at sea, the crew is toldtheir vessel has been altered to look like a Nazi U-boat. Theirassignment is to pose as Germans, rendezvous with a stranded Germansubmarine, the U-571, and capture the "Enigma"machine, a device thatcould help the Allies decode German messages.

Their mission goes asplanned until a German warship destroys the S-33, their ride home.Dahlgren decides to take over the badly damaged U-571 and escape theNazis by submerging. The enormous German destroyer attacks and anexciting battle follows.

"U-571" is entertaining, but has several flaws.The U-boat is hit with many depth charges and torpedoes, but nothingseems to damage it. The audience soon grows tired of watching eachexplosion barely scratch the sub. The movie seems to mimic most classicsubmarine films, such as when water pressure shoots bolts, like bullets,inside the cramped quarters, and when the camera darts from the floodedengine room to the periscope and torpedo bay. The poor music selectionalso lowered the movie's quality. Groaning metal and pinging sonar wouldhave sounded much better than roaring music.

Despite these flaws, themovie's strong cast and superb special effects shape the plot into amemorable depiction of WWII.