Harry - just returned from a special screening of a new movie called U-571 here in Sacramento - a film that screams DAS BOOT, but has a little feeling of THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER and CRIMSON TIDE. Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi(should I keep going?), the guy who plays Dr. Dave from ER and the fake-polio victim guy from SOMETHING ABOUT MARY all star in this film. I'm sure I'm leaving others out but just on that cast alone, you get a feel of how good the movie could be. Well - it was better!

The film takes place during World War II in the height of the Nazi U-boat onslaught that is happening in the Atlantic. You see, the Nazis have this secret code that the Allies are unable to break and they're pretty much on the verge of losing the war. They know they must somehow get their hands on one of the decoders. Well, you just can't pick up a Nazi decoder at you corner Radio Shack - they're on the Nazi's U-boats - and that's where our American submarine crew comes in. Not only do they have to attempt the capture of the top-secret decoder, but they also have to do it without the enemy's knowledge (bring in the crescendo!).

The film starts out with a battle between a Nazi U-boat and the Allied forces. The U-boat is able to sink the Allied boat, but is disabled in the process. On board this U-boat is the Enigma - THE encryption decoder of the Nazis. And here this U-boat sits completely dead in the water, the German crew waiting for their ride home. Somehow, the American special intelligence forces are able to find this information out and entrust the help of a reluctant Bill Paxton and Matthew McConaughey and their submarine crew. Led by Marine special intelligence officer David Keith, they are able to take over the disabled U-boat and intercept the Enigma - but not without some extraordinary and spoiler-filled scenes that set the film's roller-coaster, edge of your seat, white knuckled (insert any other descriptive metaphor) story. And here's a little hint - a couple of characters are killed in this scene - something that really surprised and caught me off guard - and killed in very graphic war-like ways.

Matthew McConaughey is great in this film as Bill Paxton's first in charge. His intensity is very believable. You find out that he is passed up to command his own sub and realizes the decision-making breaker was that of his current captain, Paxton. Harvey Keitel plays an older officer who is happy in his current position and is more like a mentor than a submissive to his commanding officer, McConaughey. And Jon Bon Jovi plays Matthew's good friend and Sergeant. And he really does a great job of acting in this film - another thing I was surprised at. All in all, the casting was perfect for this film. I kind of got the feel of watching SAVING PRIVATE RYAN where you had a great famous lead actor and a superb, but not as well known, supporting cast. U-571 has this element to it. But what I liked most about this movie was the way it was filmed. Close, intense shots are throughout the film, but there are also those wide beautiful shots that tell the story without words. The battle scenes are extremely well done with this kind of filmmaking. For instance, one scene has a Nazi Destroyer above the American submarine. The Destroyer begins to drop depth charges into the water, which completely surround the submarine - a scene where you feel that all is going to be over rather soon for the American crew. Then it will jump to the panicked look of one of crew who hears the splashes and slowly pull out to show the rest of the crew's reactions to this - the immediate securing of themselves to anything - and then the damage that ensues. Wide outside shot to an extreme close-up to a slow back truck - incredible filmmaking.

Harry, I was on the edge of my seat throughout this film. My heart raced, my palms grew sweaty and my blood pressure must have shot through the roof. If Universal Marketing can hold on to the integrity of this film, you will have another classic that will be enjoyed by history classes and film buffs into the future - and another thing, can't wait for the DVD on this film…