Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Let's get this part of the review out of the way: do not for a moment think that this movie is in any way a depiction of actual events during World War II.

Movie plot

In the movie the allies are taking a big hit on their shipping lines between the USA & Great Britain. The biggest reason is the German U-Boats (submarines) present in the Atlantic. Right in the beginning, we see the German U-Boat U-571 destroy a freight container ship. The reason given for Germany's strong showing in the Atlantic is their ability to communicate with their submarines using the Enigma code. No one has been able to break the code until now, and a crew of an American submarine with military intelligence along is dispatched to retrieve one of the Enigma machines from a U-Boat that is dead in the water.

History

Germany was a big threat in the Atlantic during World War II. Just check out all of the dive sites on boats that were sunk by them off of Long Island to see how close they were coming to the coast.

Full and complete credit for anything having to do with the Enigma code belongs to the British. The code was broken in 1940 after a British minesweeper, the HMS Gleaner recovered one of the machines from a German submarine. The Germans did change some of their coding methods in 1942 (the time period this movie is set in). This caused a great deal of trouble once again until the British finally managed to crack the last of the code that same year. Americans did not lay their hands on an Enigma machine until 1944.

So don't get the idea when the end credits roll and they show a listing of ships that secured Enigma machines that the Americans really had any impact with regard to the code.


That said, I did enjoy the movie for what it was: entertainment.

The focus of the movie is Matthew McConaughey's character, Lt. Andrew Tyler. He is a young naval officer looking for his first command and disappointed when his orders come through and he doesn't get the ship he wants. His commander Lt. Commander Mike Dahlgren expresses to him the reservations which prevented him from recommending Tyler for command: he is too much a buddy to the men under him. Though he would gladly lay his life on the line for any of them, could he order any of them to lay their life on the line for the good of the mission or the rest of the crew?

That question is something Tyler struggles with all through the film. Harvey Keitel as Chief Klough berates him for admitting in front of his men that he is unsure of what actions to take after a group of them must set out on their own to get the Enigma machine back to US Navy Intelligence. Tyler has shown weakness, and even if he doesn't know what to do, he should never admit that to his men.

This wishy-washiness on Tyler's part almost costs the men their lives when Mazzola (Erik Palladino) shouts over an order Tyler has given to another crewman. We see Tyler begin to evolve into a Commander as he slugs Mazzola and declares that "this is not a democracy."

Tyler changes before our eyes during this film. He is smart and clever, that is for sure, but does he have the mettle to order a man to lay his life on the line to complete the mission? By the end of the movie, he is no longer a buddy to the men, but instead a feared Commander.

The other character I liked a great deal was that of the black cook, Eddie (T.C. Carson). At first I thought No way would there be a black man in the crew of all white men on a ship during World War II. That is not being racist, that is simply the fact of the time. However, on the DVD there is a documentary on how the movie came to be made. The interview with Carson gave me great insight into the character. On a submarine, all men had to be trained to do every job - that was a matter of necessity. While usually relegated to being service staff on ships such as cooks, if a black man volunteered for submarine duty (and all submarine duty was voluntary), that was his way of getting training.

If you want a documentary on World War II, I suggest checking out The History Channel, The Learning Channel or The Discovery Channel. However, taken just as a movie set during World War II not portraying actual events, the movie at least has characters we can relate to, sympathize with, and root for.


© 2001 Patti Aliventi




Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older