In "U-571," Matthew McConaughey plays Lt. Andrew Tyler, a young, determined Naval officer who is upset that he has not been commissioned as a full captain to lead his own submarine. When he confronts Lt. Commander Mike Dahlgren (Bill Paxton), the commanding officer whose lack of recommendation impeded Tyler's ascension, Dahlgren informs him that he is simply not ready yet. In a later scene, Dahlgren asks Tyler if he is willing to sacrifice every man under his command to achieve a goal, and when Tyler hesitates, Dahlgren uses it as proof that Tyler is not yet ready to make the kind of hard, life-and-death decisions that are required of a captain.

Of course, these scenes are all-too-obvious foreshadowing, thus it is readily apparent that, at some point, Tyler will have to take command and make those kind of hard, life-and-death decisions he was previously thought to be incapable of making. While "U-571" is primarily an adventure story set in the Atlantic Ocean battlefront of World War II, it is also a story that traces Tyler's development in the heat of battle from determined, but hesitant, to a fearless leader.

"U-571" tells the fictionalized story of a mission to steal an Enigma encryption machine from a Nazi U-Boat (this was actually done during the war by the British several times, but not in this particular manner). In the beginning of the film, the Nazi U-Boat is battered by depth charges from a British destroyer, and the U.S. intercepts the submarine's call for help. A small crew led by Dahlgren, Tyler, and Chief Klough (Harvey Keitel) beat the German rescuers to the U-Boat and take command. Unfortunately, their own submarine in blown out of the water, and the men are stranded on the wounded Nazi U-Boat (the controls of which they are unfamiliar with) in enemy waters with no way of radioing for help because the call could be intercepted by Germans.

The first half of the film details the mission to take over the German U-Boat, while the second half of the film is essentially an extensive chase sequence where Tyler's team attempts to escape from a German destroyer and make its way to friendly waters. The Nazi U-Boat is badly damaged and has only one torpedo, thus there are few options available. This, of course, means that Tyler will have to make hard decisions, and it is eventually his quick thinking, strength under fire, and willingness to put himself and his men in danger that eventually saves them (or, at least some of them). In other words, this is a traditional Hollywood war story.

"U-571" was directed and co-written by Jonathan Mostow, who also made the effective thriller "Breakdown" (1997). While his script is not particularly enthralling (some of the dialogue is downright silly and the manner in which Tyler is set up as a character to be tested is utterly transparent), the film is nevertheless engrossing as pure action spectacle.

Mostow's abilities as a director have improved since "Breakdown," and he creates real tension and claustrophobia in the scenes that take place on the Nazi U-Boat, especially the heart-pounding sequences in which Tyler and his crew are forced to sit quietly and listen while the Nazi destroyer above them dumps dozens of depth charges into the water. These scenes are nail-biters because there is literally nothing to be done but wait and hope that the depth charges don't explode too close to the sub. The only avenue of escape is to continually dive deeper, which is calculated risk considering that the U-Boat is damaged and can only take so much pressure.

In many ways, "U-571" is really a throwback to the rah-rah war films of 60 years ago minus the overt racism. The late 1980s saw an onslaught of morally clouded films about Vietnam ("Platoon," "Full Metal Jacket," "Born on the Fourth of July") while the 1990s have been dominated by Steven Spielberg's two World War II epics ("Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan") that valued the necessity of fighting World War II while simultaneously depicting the revolting nature of war itself.

"U-571" fits neither category--there is no moral uncertainty to the mission, and the film is presented as a largely bloodless, PG-13-rated adventure yarn. Yes, characters die, some of whom are young, fresh-faced boys who don't look old enough to drive. However, Mostow frames the film within the well-worn tradition of the mission narrative, where the story is driven by the need to achieve certain goals, upon which Allied success is hinged. In "U-571," the capture of the Nazi Enigma encryption machine will mean the difference between victory and defeat, thus any casualties incurred on the mission are a necessary and noble sacrifice.

This is not to say that there is anything necessarily wrong with such a set-up. It was the basis of just about every John Wayne World War II flick ever made, and it taps into certain myths about battle and heroism that are ancient. On its own terms, "U-571" is an engaging action story with characters who are interesting enough to maintain interest throughout the film. Just don't mistake it for a serious exploration of the nature of war.