U-571 is a good war movie, and it will no doubt appeal to older kids and teens. There are several plot gaps and implausible moments, but it ends up being a pretty enjoyable experience. Violence is the biggest issue in the film. Many people drown (offscreen) and are shot (onscreen). There is quite a bit of blood and bullet holes, and some fairly intense scenes. Language consists of some "s**t"s, "hells", "a*s"s, and "d**n"s.
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U-571
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Is it age appropriate?
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Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
A very tense and exciting war movie.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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What Parents Need to Know
About U-571
Parents need to know that this is an exceptionally intense and scary movie. Many people are brutally killed, including characters that the audience comes to care about.
Read our full review by Nell Minow
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about how we develop the foundation of values and experience to enable us to make those choices. They should also talk about the difference between fiction and reality. The setting and the references to historical incidents like the capture of the Enigma may lead people who watch this movie to believe that it was based on a true story. It is not. It is based on pieces of several stories, mostly involving British, not American, sailors and soldiers, and it is heavily fictionalized, at times bearing more relation to Star Wars than it does to history.
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 13 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
A Decent War Movie...
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
Attention: WWII movie fans
U571 is a very good WWII portrayal of life on a submarine in combat. Mathew McConaughey does an excellent job as the executive officer on a US submarine disguised as a German U-boat. The American’s mission was to capture a disabled German U-boat in order to obtain the German encryption machine. This mission had to be completed in total secrecy or the effort would have been in vain. As the story unfolds, the American captain (Bill Paxton) is killed and McConaughey is left in charge of the U-Boat. The film is non-stop action as the Americans navigate their way through German occupied territory. High drama is abundant when the Americans run into a German destroyer that uncovers the mission and attacks their own U-boat. The ending is slightly predicable, but very good. Terrific marks to this short, but entertaining film.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Yeah, it was ok...
It tired too hard to keep its audience tense, so as a result, it almost got boring because it was so repetitive with its explosions and "oh, are we going to make it past this Nazi blah-blah (ship, submarine, you name it). The plot was basically given to you in the begginning and there was a real lack of character evolution-- it was sort of introduced, but barely anything was done with it. So overall, if you want a TRULY tense war movie, not to mention a good one, I highly suggest "Saving Private Ryan" (though if you are a parent, you already know you don't want your kid watching that), or the other war classics: "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket".
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 100% | of parents say it's too violent |
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