While Netflix primarily sticks with films that were released in the past two decades, it occasionally reaches back further to borrow some movies from its studio partners. That’s why the streamer is now home to U-571, a World War II submarine thriller that was released by Universal Pictures in 2000.
Jonathan Mostow directed U-571 from a script he co-wrote with Suicide Squad director David Ayer and Sam Montgomery. The film was a modest hit when it hit theaters, and it had an intriguing hook as it followed a crew of American Navy fighters who undertook a risky mission to gain control of a German U-boat submarine to get access to a working Enigma machine. If you know your WWII history, then you should recall that Enigma machines allowed the Germans to send coded messages during the war. Deciphering that code with an actual Enigma machine could — and did — change the course of the conflict.
Now that U-571 has surfaced on Netflix, we’re sharing the four reasons why you should watch it this month.
U-571 has an impressive cast
One of the primary complaints against U-571 is that many of the crew members are one-dimensional. For the most part, this is true. But the film compensates for that by featuring a very strong lineup of supporting cast members including Harvey Keitel, David Keith, Jake Weber, Jack Noseworthy, and even T. C. Carson, who went on to voice Kratos in the God of War video games.
However, this is primarily a starring vehicle for Matthew McConaughey, whose Lieutenant Andrew Tyler sees his leadership tested in a trial by fire. Tyler wanted the chance to make the life or death situations in battle, and he gets what he asked for following the death of his commanding officer. The late Bill Paxton has a brief, but heroic turn as Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren, while Tom Guiry gets an extended spotlight as Seaman Ted “Trigger” Fitzgerald.
But the unsung member of this cast is German actor Thomas Kretschmann, who plays Günther Wassner. He’s the lone survivor from the German crew, who does everything he can to sabotage the Americans’ mission. That makes him the villain of the story, and frequently more than his captors can handle.
The action is frequent and exciting
Once the mission to take over U-571 is underway, the film doesn’t let up. Tyler and his crew manage to gain control of the submarine, but getting home alive with the Enigma machine is more challenging. German reinforcements, an internal saboteur, and the rapidly deteriorating conditions inside the sub make the claustrophobic atmosphere even more exciting.
Mostow demonstrates an excellent understanding of how to stage action while keeping the audience invested in the fate of the American crew. His action sequences are one of the primary reasons why U-571 is still worth revisiting two decades after its release.
The special effects and sound design are fantastic
U-571‘s lone Oscar win was for Best Sound Editing, and it’s quickly apparent why. The sounds inside the submarine and in the water feel real and help heighten the tension. Most people will never step on to a real submarine, much less a U-boat from World War II, so we only really have Hollywood films as a frame of reference. While it can’t be said with 100% certainty that this was an accurate depiction of a submarine in combat situations, at the very least it’s credible.
Although U-571 wasn’t nominated for Best Special Effects, the visuals are also a big draw for the film. We get to see the submarine in jeopardy underwater, with views that would probably have been impossible without some Hollywood magic. Those impressive external shots of the submarine give the action additional impact.
It rewrites history
The fact that U-571 plays fast and loose with history is both a positive and a negative for the film. Without the American-centric cast of characters, this movie might never have been made at all. And it’s far from the only World War II movie to take dramatic liberties with real events.
But that’s also why U-571 gets a lot of justified criticism. Because this plot is completely made up and it ignores the fact that it was the British forces that retrieved an Enigma machine from a German U-boat months before the Americans entered the war. At the time that U-571 was released, the British public and politicians were understandably upset that the contributions to this war effort by their side were simply ignored.
Having said that, the vast majority of moviegoers don’t watch films for history lessons. If you just want to enjoy a throwback World War II action story, U-571 is an entertaining option.
Watch U-571 on Netflix.