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Hirsch
is an intelligence officer, and is described in one review
as "the German-speaking mastermind" of the plan
(whom "we're meant to dislike," according to another
review). Hirsch's also called a "sallow-faced git"
in yet another review, so we'll take these with a grain
of salt!
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On
the official U-571 site (which is quite lovely and
detailed), the plot description reveals that Jake's
character, Lt. Hirsch, is actually assigned to take
over the S-33 (the U.S. submarine on which Our Guys
will travel to capture the Enigma machine).
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Jake
is identified and interviewed in the "Below Decks" area
of the site. According to Martha de Laurentis, one
of the producers: "Our cast is not a predictable cast.
When Matthew came onto the project, it was very exciting
to make an ensemble around him, with the choice of Bill
Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi, Jake Weber and David
Keith, and then all the new faces that you'll see." Apparently
Jake isn't considered a new face! Nice
to see.
Later,
the text continues with a quote from Jake himself
that gives some juicy insights about Hirsch:
Jake
Weber, who played the jilted fiancé in Martin
Brest's Meet Joe Black, reflects, "I think the characters
were very richly drawn, very identifiable in Jonathan's
script. It's a good story with a lot of psychological
drama in addition to the action." Weber continues, "Jonathan
saw my character as a man who shows no apparent sign
of weakness, very educated and seemingly fearless, but
he's not a soldier. Instead, he's brave in a more quiet
way. I find this is a film where you'll discover a lot
of different types of heroism."
Why
doesn't it shock me that Hirsch isn't a soldier--"brave
in a more quiet way"? While it'd be a hoot to see
Jake portraying some rough-n-tumble type, this seems right
up his alley.
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Jake-filled
moments in the trailer:
Hirsch's
seen briefing a group of men, including Matthew M.,
pointing out Important Stuff (TM) on a map.
We
see Hirsch standing next to Matthew (below) looking out
to sea and spotting the enemy. Hirsch--wearing a little hat--mutters
some encouraging words like, "the next sixty seconds will determine
what kind of men we are."
A
shot of Hirsch (from a 3/4 view--I'm guessing it's Hirsch, because
I recognize Jake's nose and copper hair) opening up what
I believe is the Enigma machine (below). Earlier, Matthew
M's character opens a safe (I think it's a safe) and screams:
"HIRSCH! I think I found the code book!"
Couple
of action shots below. First, we catch a glimpse of Hirsch
standing, looking a bit dazed, near some sparking wires. Uh
oh...check out the next image. Look out!
Finally,
this speedy sequence is very tough to see, because things
start getting very hectic towards the end of the trailer.
However, there's a
few seconds of Hirsch grabbing an axe.... and smashing
something--a door, a box, I can't tell what.* But it's
definitely
Jake--and in a rare action shot! Very exciting!
Here are the sequence of shots I was able to capture:
Ready...
Aim... 
Fire! 
*
Actually, the above was written before the film was released.
Those of us who've seen the film now know what it is Hirsch
is aiming at--and it ain't no box! But telling more would be
spoiling the moment, which is pretty powerful! I'll wait until
the film's been out longer before going into plot details.
Unfortunately,
the new trailer lacks something important
(for Jake completists): The lost voiceover! In the original
trailer,
we could hear Jake's voice as his character, Lt. Hirsch,
briefs the men about the mission to follow. He explains
the
desperate situation and the need for finding the Enigma box.
You
can check the whole trailer by downloading the
Quicktime version
at the official site--a long download
(7MB), so be prepared! You can also find a RealPlayer
version at the official
site for U-571.
Here
are two terrific pictures--especially the bototm one, it's
really a keeper. I found these in the IMDB
photo gallery for U-571:
Hirsch
riding the waves
A
tense moment in the depths.
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