This year marks the 25th anniversary of the World War II movie U-571, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
Despite being criticized for taking some liberties with history, director and cowriter Jonathan Mostow and his collaborators turned U-571 into a minor hit.
If you’ve never seen U-571 in theaters or on a streamer, there are only a few days left to watch it online.
That’s why Watch With Us is sharing three reasons you need to watch U-571 before it leaves Netflix at the beginning of October.
Matthew McConaughey Gives a Commanding Performance
Matthew McConaughey was already an established star when he was cast as Lieutenant Andrew Tyler in this film. But it was still a good starring vehicle for McConaughey to further cement his status as a leading man. This movie has an ensemble cast, but Tyler gets the lion’s share of the spotlight, especially after his commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), tells him he’s not ready to lead a submarine crew.
Tyler gets his trial by fire when the mission goes sideways and the American crew is forced to survive in the damaged German U-boat, U-571. McConaughey is very good at conveying his indignation when his orders are questioned, as well as his compassion and camaraderie with the crew. He really cares about the men under his command and it shows. It also makes things difficult when Tyler has to give out commands that may cost the lives of his crew.
The Cast Makes a Good Impression
The occasionally negative reviews about U-571 are right about one thing: The rest of the cast is underwritten without compelling story arcs of their own beyond basic survival. Not everyone can get a standout moment in a film like this, but the cast brought their own natural charisma to their roles and helped bridge the gap between the script and the finished movie to bring out their characters’ humanity.
Paxton is very good in his brief scenes as Dahlgren, and it’s always fun to see Harvey Keitel pop up. In this story, Keitel plays an older veteran, Henry Keough, who serves as Chief Gunner’s Mate on the ship. Surprisingly, Tom Guiry gets a lot to work with late in the story as Seaman Ted “Trigger” Fitzgerald. You wouldn’t know it from how far down his name is listed in the credits, but in the last minutes of the film, Guiry essentially becomes the movie’s second lead. More importantly, Guiry makes the audience care about a character who could have been easily dispatched.
The Submarine Action Is Exciting to Watch
The biggest reason to watch U-571 is the same thing that’s given the film a long afterlife on cable and streaming. The submarine action is great, and there are some incredibly tense scenes as the crew struggles to survive German counterattacks in their damaged vessel.
U-571 didn’t reinvent the submarine genre, and it’s not the best film ever made of its kind. But it works really well as a military action thriller, and the submarine scenes feel real enough to create a sense of suspense. That’s more than enough to give a new generation of fans thrills when they watch the movie for the first time.
U-571 is streaming on Netflix through the end of September 30.
