i had lost all faith in pg-13 movies that are intended for teenagers and adults . 
the last dozen or so that i have seen have all felt incomplete , as if the most crucial scene was deleted in order to obtain a more lucrative rating . 
however , after seeing the creative frequency last week and now the exciting u-571 , my bias is beginning to go away . 
both films are as innocuous for younger viewers as they are intellectual for older viewers . 
even better , i didn't think either one of these films would be any good from first instincts . 
everyone loves surprises . 
u-571 looked like another action film using an actual war as an excuse to shoot torpedoes and bullets . 
this may be true , but the action is so extraordinary that it is clear director/co-writer jonathan mostow completed his ultimate goal ; to blow the audience's socks off . 
set during the early stages of world war 2 when the united states struggled to break the codes of the technologically advanced german u-boats , u-571 follows a small crew of american men who swipe the typewriter necessary to solve the enigma from an enemy ship . 
there's only one problem : the american ship they came from and hoped to return to has been shot down stranding the men on a german submarine known as ( you guessed it ) u-571 . 
it is now up to the mostly young and inexperienced sailors , led by an interim captain named tyler ( matthew mcconaughey ) , to return the typewriter to america without getting sunk by far superior german ships . 
the film starts off very slowly with a somewhat weak opening action sequence and another uneventful half an hour to introduce several of the sailors ( most of whom die when the mission goes awry or just inexplicably disappear ) . 
once the crew gets on the u-boat , the movie shifts to another level and never leaves this high energy level until the ending credits roll down . 
as soon as the action starts , it does not stop and luckily , because it is so exciting , i didn't want it to stop . 
this is not a movie for those wanting to avoid loud noises , from the wonderful , heart-pounding score to the constant yelling of panicking men , make sure you see this at a theater with surround-sound ? otherwise , do not see it all . 
the best parts of u-571 are when tyler is forced to make impromptu decisions on how to escape seemingly impossible situations . 
throughout the movie , several morals or characters are introduced to make tyler's job as stressful as possible . 
germans gun down their own men , tyler's mentor captain dahlgren warns him that a captain has to be prepared to sacrifice even the most beloved soldiers for a victory , another sailor ( erik palladino ) threatens mutiny . 
all of these examples , and several others , increase the chaotic atmosphere and the importance of tyler's every move . 
they also make u-571 one of the most exhilarating movies i have seen in a while .