Commanding the S-33, which is now being retrofitted to look like another U-boat so that the crew can safely approach the mostly disabled German sub, is Lt. Commander Mike Dahlgren (BILL PAXTON) and his executive officer, Lt. Andrew Tyler (MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY). He's not happy with the CO who's just thwarted Tyler's hopes of commanding his own vessel under the assumption that Tyler's not prepared to make the tough decisions such a commander must make.

Nonetheless, Tyler knows his duties and thus joins fellow officers Lt. Pete Emmett (JON BON JOVI) and Ensign Larson (MATTHEW SETTLE) in getting the enlisted men, including Chief Klough (HARVEY KEITEL), radioman Wentz (JACK NOSEWORTHY), the cook Eddie (T.C. CARSON), Trigger (THOMAS GUIRY), Mazzola (ERIK PALLADINO), Tank (DAVE POWER), Griggs (DERK CHEETWOOD) and Rabbit (WILL ESTES) on board and ready for action.

Despite Dahlgren being the CO, the mission is under the command of Lt. Hirsch (JAKE WEBER) and his assistant, Marine Major Coonan (David Keith). They brief the officers about the plan's mission of finding the U-boat, boarding her as disguised German sailors, taking prisoners and obtaining the encryption device.

Things, of course, go horribly wrong when the plan is enacted, with the S-33 being destroyed and most of the American and German sailors being killed. From that point on, Tyler, Klough and a small handful of the remaining crew take control of the partially disabled U-boat and must then contend with several perilous encounters with various German military vessels.

While conflict can come in any variety of shapes and forms in most every genre of moviemaking, it's most readily apparent and available in films set during wars where two or more sides are already opposed to one another and wish to be victorious in whatever military mission in which they're engaged. Cram that conflict into the claustrophobic confines of an old, leaking and partially disabled submarine that's under attack, and some highly energized drama and adventure are bound to follow. That's certainly the case in this week's release of "U-571."

Following in the tradition of other submarine flicks such as "Crimson Tide," "Run Silent, Run Deep," "The Hunt for Red October," "Enemy Below" and obviously "Das Boot," the film offers the standard story elements - the tension, adventure and suspense generated by close quarters, peril and the obligatory dropping of depth charges - but isn't going for the deep psychological examination nor the anti-war stance of Wolfgang Petersen's renowned 1981 sub film.

Instead, its intentions are more in line of creating something along the lines of an undersea roller coaster ride -- essentially nothing but sheer, adventurous entertainment -- and with that objective in mind, it succeeds rather well. While the similarities to all or parts of those submarine films is obvious, writer/director Jonathan Mostow ("Breakdown") and co-screenwriters Sam Montgomery ("Breakdown") and David Ayer (his first produced screenplay) have also borrowed or perhaps just been influenced by the world of Star Trek, which itself was influenced by combat movies and stories from the past.

That's because while watching the film, you'll slowly but surely start realizing that Captain Kirk and his core crew of the Enterprise easily could have replaced the main characters here and the filmmakers would have still come up with a similar film to what's present.

If that sounds ridiculous, just remember the times when Kirk and his crew were stuck on a vessel (enemy or not) that had limited maneuvering or weapons capabilities and was essentially a submarine in space, had a "mechanic" who tried to fix any or all of the above problems (and was given an incredibly short amount of time to do so) and included a no-name assortment of enlisted men, some of whom were present simply to become casualties.

In addition, just like that series & related movies, this film features a commander who not only learns that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of a few, but also must use his wits to overcome such deficiencies to defeat the enemy and save his crew and vessel. All that's missing in this film is hearing William Shatner melodramatically barking out, "Scotty, we need warp power in one minute or we're all dead," although the film often comes close to delivering dialogue rather similar to that.

None of which is meant to slight the film in the least. Such plot setups clearly worked in "Trek" and it certainly works here in creating more than a boatload - or submarine-load if you like - of visceral stimulation and excitement. Despite not offering much of anything original save the initial premise that finally gets the American crew onboard the U-boat, the film is nothing short of a blast to watch.

Performances, while nothing spectacular or outstanding, and purposefully suffering from very little character development save for the captain, are par for the course and essentially are nothing more than additional cogs in this entertainment machine.

In the "Kirk" role, Matthew McConaughey ("EdTV," "Amistad") is engaging as the would-be commander who gets his first taste of leadership under fire, while Harvey Keitel ("Holy Smoke," "From Dusk Till Dawn") is rock solid as his right-hand man, the sub's chief. Bill Paxton ("Titanic," "Twister") is decent as the crew's first commander, although he doesn't stick around for long, while Jake Weber ("Meet Joe Black," "Pushing Tin") plays the typical "government man" sent in to oversee the operation who freezes under pressure but eventually comes around and proves his worth.

Beyond T. C. Carson ("Gang Related") who is and plays a man of color and Dave Power (making his big screen debut) who inhabits the "Scotty" role, the rest of the characters and the performances by those who inhabit them - including rock star turned actor Jon Bon Jovi ("Moonlight and Valentino"), Will Estes (a TV actor) and others - simply mesh together into one big crew conglomerate.

In fact, some may see that as one of the film's problems. While "Das Boot" let the audience get to know and care for the characters, we simply do so here because we know we're supposed to root for the "good guys." The film also toys around with history a bit for those who get irritated when Hollywood does that, features some obvious expository foretelling and includes some special effects that don't quite look realistic enough to pass as such. The film also fails to include the obvious bit about the American crew on the German U-boat being mistaken as Germans by Allied Forces, which would have then added another layer of complexity, suspense and tough decision making to the proceedings.

Even so, as a moviegoing experience, the film has the personality of a thrilling roller coaster. As such, much like one needn't know anything about the lives of those operating such a ride or the fellow riders sitting in front of or beyond you on such a contraption, this film's sole intent is on taking the viewer for a thrilling ride without the need for much character development. With that target and/or goal in mind, the film wonderfully succeeds.

With Hollywood realizing once again that both critical and financial success can come with film such as "Saving Private Ryan," and that in today's world of political correctness about the only villains one can portray are those from the past who were the aggressors, films set during WWII are bound to make a comeback. If they can be as much visceral fun as this film turns out to be, we say bring them on. Although it's no "Das Boot," "U-571" is still a blast to watch and for that we give it a 7.5 out of 10.