Reviewed by: Suad Bejtovic, Bosnian Movie Critic

Director: Jonathan Mostow

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, Bill Paxton

Koliko god apsurdno zvucalo, vjerujem da su dvije zadnje rijeci u filmovima o podmornicama bile "Das Boot", kao drama, i "The Hunt For Red October", kao odlican podmornicki triler. Posljednji pokusaj da se opisu zivot i smrt na tom vozilu, "U-571", ne pretvara se da bude nijedan od tih filmova. Naprotiv, vrlo je svjestan da nije nista vise od vjesto uradjenog komada zabave. Kada shvatite to o "U-571" i drzite to na umu tokom filma, pred vama je uzbudljiva voznja.

Prica je prilicno jednostavna i labavo orbitira oko Enigme, misteriozne nacisticke masine za kodiranje, i obogaljene njemacke podmornice koja joj je dom. Americka podmornica, polazi na misiju da se susretne sa U-571 i zarobi Enigmu. Plan podje naopako kada njihova vlastita podmornica bude pogodjena, i preostala sacica mornara ostane nasukana na neprijateljskom vozilu sa vrlo malo goriva i gotovo nicim da se odbrane.

Pod-zanr podmornickih filmova sam za sebe je predodredjen za mnoge uzbudljive situacije. Klaustrofobicna i kaoticna atmosfera je savrsena pozadina za uzbudljivu pricu i reditelj Jonathan Mostow je koristi dobro. Podvodni kadrovi su efektni, sa mnostvo krupnih kadrova i neobicnih uglova kamere. Buduci da se cijela prica odvija u nekoliko dana, u filmu ima ogranicen broj akcionih scena, ali "U-571" ne nedostaje akcije, niti drame. Iako su neke uloge nespretno odigrane i mnoge replike u scenariju predvidljive u najboljem slucaju, tu i tamo na povrsinu ispliva dodatni zaplet ili dva, kao sto je sazrijevanje mladog oficira Andrewa Tylera (Matthew McConaughey). Gotovo je kliseizirana, ali inteligentna upotreba ocigledne razlike izmedju mornara naviklih na uslove borbene gotovosti i kancelarijskih obavjestajaca donosi nesto komicnog olaksanja (kao u prvom zaranjanju) i nesto napetosti (kao u sceni susreta sa U-571).

Iako "U-571" ne moze da se usporedi sa najboljim filmovima iz Drugog svjetskog rata na visem nivou, mnoge scene, poput zauzimanja U-571 i beskrajni napadi dubinskim minama dovoljno su uzasavajuce za prosjecnog gledaoca. Pisac ovih redove otkrio je da je dojam tih scena znatno jaci nego izvikane uvodne sekvence filma "Saving Private Ryan". Dakako, ako zelite isti taj nivo intenziteta, kombiniran sa zestokom dramom i sarafima koji izlijecu iz lezista na 200 metara ispod nivoa mora, i to vise od nekoliko sati, pronadjite "Das Boot". I nemojte se iznenaditi ako otkrijete da navijate za negativce.

     As absurd as it may seem, I believe that the two last words in submarine movies have been "Das Boot", as an ultimate submarine drama, and "The Hunt For Red October", as a great submarine thriller. The latest attempt in presenting the life and death on that vessel, "U-571" doesn't pretend to be either one of those movies. On the contrary, it is very aware that it is nothing more than a well crafted piece of entertainment. When you realize that about "U-571", and keep it in mind throughout the movie, you may be in for a thrilling ride.

The story is quite simple, and loosely revolves around Enigma, the mysterious Nazi encrypting machine, and a crippled German sumbarine that is its home. An American submarine goes on a mission to intercept U-571 and seize the Enigma. The plan goes awry when their own submarine is hit, and the remaining handful of sailors remain trapped on the enemy vessel with little power and next to nothing to defend themselves with.

The sub-genre of sub-movies is in itself predestined for some suspenseful situations. The claustrophobic and chaotic atmosphere is a perfect backdrop for a thrilling story, and the director Jonathan Mostow uses that tool well. Underwater shots are effective, with many close-ups and unusual angles. Since the whole story unravels in less than a few days, there is only a limited number of action scenes, but "U-571" doesn't lack action, nor drama. Even though some roles are clumsily acted and most lines in the script formulaic at best, there is a subplot or two emerging to periscope depth, such as the maturing of a young officer Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey). It's almost cliche, but smart use of the clash between the combat-accustomed sailors and intelligence paper-pushers provides some comic relief (as in the first going under) and some suspense, too (as in the rendezvous scene).

Although "U-571" doesn't compare to the best WWII movies on a larger scale, many of its scenes, such as the capturing of U-571 and the endless depth charge attacks are gripping and haunting enough for even an average viewer. The author of these lines found out that the impression those scenes left is much more powerful than the famous opening sequence of "Saving Private Ryan". However, if you want that level of intensity combined with some hard-core drama and bolts popping out at 200 meters below sea level for more than just a couple of hours, rent "Das Boot". And don't be surprised if you find yourself rooting for the bad guys.

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