War is battle of economic might of countries. With that in mind, and without a functional navy among other things, Germany was always going to lose World War 2. Supplies from America kept Britain alive in the war. But there was a phase when the German navy terrorized Allied supplies through it's U-boats. Operating in packs, and attacking convoys at night in areas that were beyond the reach of air protection, German U-boats sank more than 6000 ships during WW2. When the U-boat strategy worked for a couple of years, Germany punched above their weight.
It is 1942, and Greyhound is the story of one such convoy to Liverpool- 37 ships, escorted by 5 destroyers. Ernest Krause, played by a typically composed Tom Hanks, is in command of the lead destroyer USS Keeling. But even without trying, Hanks exhibits more charisma than what is required. He has after-all played Captain Miller, Jim Lovell, Robert Langdon, James Donovan, and Sully.
The German submarines, led by one with the insignia Gray Wolf, begin their attacks 3 days when the convoys are 3 days away from air cover. The rest of the story is about surviving those 72 hours. Clocking in under 90 minutes, it is a taut, action packed thriller that eschews character building for an immersive, fast paced cat and mouse game of ships vs submarines. And immersive it is- watching the ships make evasive maneuvers, torpedoes careening all round, guns blazing, depth-charges exploding, friendly-fire at it's absolute worst, and a beautiful shot of the Aurora Borealis above the clouds during a night-time battle.
Greyhound is based upon C.S. Forester's 1955 novel- The Good Shepherd. Given the source material, the enemy is suitably faceless. Always unseen, always hunting, they are ferocious and smart. And while they are at it, they taunt well too.
"Gray Wolf is so very hungry. Your women will learn of your dying, and weep into the long night, before they turn to the arms of their lovers"
In Greyhound, Tom Hanks also earns his first solo screenplay credit in a 40 year career. It is interesting to see how actors write themselves parts, and being the lead in this one, Hanks does not spare himself the economical treatment. We hardly get to know him beyond perfunctory details like he is religious, he is green, and has a girl waiting for him back home. The other characters fare worse. The script is mostly a long list of rapid-fire orders that make sense only when contextualized with the vivid open ocean combat scenes. In feel, Greyhound is probably closest to Dunkirk, where Nolan showed how personality-less war movies could be made great.
In the end, the beauty of Greyhound lies in its simplicity and efficiency. It is a pity COVID did not allow it a big-screen release, where it should have rightly viewed. But for the audience, given the circumstances, better now than late. Now playing at Apple TV+
It is 1942, and Greyhound is the story of one such convoy to Liverpool- 37 ships, escorted by 5 destroyers. Ernest Krause, played by a typically composed Tom Hanks, is in command of the lead destroyer USS Keeling. But even without trying, Hanks exhibits more charisma than what is required. He has after-all played Captain Miller, Jim Lovell, Robert Langdon, James Donovan, and Sully.
The German submarines, led by one with the insignia Gray Wolf, begin their attacks 3 days when the convoys are 3 days away from air cover. The rest of the story is about surviving those 72 hours. Clocking in under 90 minutes, it is a taut, action packed thriller that eschews character building for an immersive, fast paced cat and mouse game of ships vs submarines. And immersive it is- watching the ships make evasive maneuvers, torpedoes careening all round, guns blazing, depth-charges exploding, friendly-fire at it's absolute worst, and a beautiful shot of the Aurora Borealis above the clouds during a night-time battle.
Greyhound is based upon C.S. Forester's 1955 novel- The Good Shepherd. Given the source material, the enemy is suitably faceless. Always unseen, always hunting, they are ferocious and smart. And while they are at it, they taunt well too.
"Gray Wolf is so very hungry. Your women will learn of your dying, and weep into the long night, before they turn to the arms of their lovers"
In Greyhound, Tom Hanks also earns his first solo screenplay credit in a 40 year career. It is interesting to see how actors write themselves parts, and being the lead in this one, Hanks does not spare himself the economical treatment. We hardly get to know him beyond perfunctory details like he is religious, he is green, and has a girl waiting for him back home. The other characters fare worse. The script is mostly a long list of rapid-fire orders that make sense only when contextualized with the vivid open ocean combat scenes. In feel, Greyhound is probably closest to Dunkirk, where Nolan showed how personality-less war movies could be made great.
In the end, the beauty of Greyhound lies in its simplicity and efficiency. It is a pity COVID did not allow it a big-screen release, where it should have rightly viewed. But for the audience, given the circumstances, better now than late. Now playing at Apple TV+
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