When an encrypted radio intercept reveals that a German U-boat (U-571) has been severely damaged by a depth-charge attack from a British destroyer, the US Navy sees a golden opportunity. A secret mission is launched: the S-33, disguised as a German supply ship, will rendezvous with the crippled U-boat, board it, and retrieve the legendary Enigma machine along with its codebooks. The plan is simple: capture the machine and sink the boat.
Even director Jonathan Mostow eventually conceded the point. In interviews, he admitted to changing the nationality for broad commercial appeal. He argued that he originally intended to use British characters, but American studios insisted that a large-budget war film needed American heroes to sell tickets in the US market. "It's a movie, not a documentary," Mostow famously said—a defense that did little to calm the angry veterans in London. movie u-571