Overview
A gripping underwater mission unfolds as the Allies fight for a crucial advantage in World War II.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- claustrophobic
- urgent
- action movie night
- war film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a tense, well-crafted submarine thriller with strong cinematography and sound, though some considered its characters conventional and its history heavily fictionalized.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Allied crew infiltrates a disabled German U-boat to seize its enigma coding machine.
After taking over the U-boat, the crew becomes stranded inside an enemy submarine under attack.
The Allied sailors masquerade as Nazis while boarding and taking control of the German submarine.
Submarine interiors, damaged systems, depth pressure, and ocean combat dominate the film's action imagery.
Films like U-571, and why
Das Boot
shared submarine warfare setting, claustrophobic tension, and combat-focused wartime drama
The Hunt for Red October
shared naval warfare, military mission structure, and suspenseful underwater action
The Enemy Below
shared world war ii action, dangerous covert mission, and ensemble military tension
Crimson Tide
shared claustrophobic combat, procedural military teamwork, and survival pressure
Movie Details
- Director
- Jonathan Mostow
- Release Date
- 2000-04-20
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1421)
Cast
- Matthew McConaughey
- Bill Paxton
- Harvey Keitel
- Jon Bon Jovi
- David Keith
- Thomas Kretschmann
- Jake Weber
- Jack Noseworthy
- Tom Guiry
- Will Estes
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is U-571 about?
- An Allied submarine crew trapped aboard a captured German U-boat must survive enemy attacks while carrying an Enigma machine across the wartime Atlantic.
- What is U-571 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of U-571 as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is U-571 violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in U-571 as moderate.
- What did critics think of U-571?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a tense, well-crafted submarine thriller with strong cinematography and sound, though some considered its characters conventional and its history heavily fictionalized.
- Which films are like U-571?
- Films with a similar feel include Das Boot, The Hunt for Red October, The Enemy Below, and Crimson Tide.
- How long is U-571?
- U-571 runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch U-571?
- In United States, U-571 streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
