When a German u-boat is immobilised by a depth charge, the US Navy submarine S-33 is scrambled to capture the submarine’s Enigma code machine before the Germans can reach it.
Although the submarine does reach the U-571 and capture the Enigma, success is short-lived: The S-33 is torpedoed by the German resupply submarine and the boarding party, led by XO Andrew Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), are trapped aboard the u-boat.
With failing systems and limited mobility, can Tyler and his men see off their foe and complete their mission?
What happened to Jonathan Mostow?
That was all I could think of while watching U-571 on Christmas Eve.
The submarine thriller was his follow-up to the excellent Breakdown, and it does not feel like a step down.
I had watched this movie years ago, but I did not remember much about it. On this latest viewing, I was completely engaged.
In its sense of momentum and economy, one can see why Mostow was picked to be James Cameron’s successor on the Terminator franchise.
Time has also been kind to U-571.
While the film uses CGI for various elements, what is impressive about the film is its tactile sense of environment, in the claustrophobic submarine sets, and use of models and water tanks to realise the key action.
While the script has no real surprises, it is solid, and it manages the trick of escalating the crew's jeopardy, from the scramble to escape the new German submarine, to the arrival of a German destroyer, and the U-571's captain's (Thomas Kretschmann) attempts at sabotage.
The film is well-photographed by Oliver Wood, who makes use of a steadicam to follow characters through the ship. There is a clear sense of spatial geography to the submarine - you always know where characters are in relation to each other. The film also does not suffer from over-cutting.
It is a classy, sturdy programmer.
If he had never made Terminator 3, or if he had made more movies after it, I think we would have a very different perspective on Mostow.
After U-571, I wanted to see more of his work.
I found an early TV movie he directed on Youtube called Flight of Black Angel. Once again, it is no masterpiece, but he shows a narrative economy and sense of tension that feels of a piece with his work on Breakdown and U-571.
Mostow is the real deal. And it is depressing that the kinds of movies he and people like Martin Campbell are good at do not get made that much any more. It was a rat race to find and mount good projects back in the nineties, and it is even worse now.
Enough tangents. U-571 is worth a watch, and here is hoping that Jonathan Mostow gets the resources to make a few more movies like it.
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