The Tom Hanks movie Greyhound is a WW2 naval warfare movie that was going to release theatrically until the usual COVID story hit. It’s not the first such movie to release streaming but it is clearly one of the biggest, at least in terms of budget, presentation, and target audience (not a kid’s movie). It was picked up by Apple TV+, the streaming service (not the device), so it’s kind of going under the radar and it shouldn’t.
Greyhound is about the dangerous ship crossing between the US and the UK during WW2. Tom Hanks captains a warship that must protect a convoy of Allied cargo and transport ships while being hunted and harried by German U-boats. And that’s largely all that happens in the movie for a crisp and direct 82 minutes. There’s exactly one flashback civilian scene between Hanks and Elizabeth Shue prior to the mission… the rest is all aboard ship during the dangerous 50 hours between the continents where air support is impossible.
This movie has no fat on it… it’s written and designed to be a nuts and bolts look at how a warship runs, defends itself, and hunts submarines. There’s very little Hollywood drama in the dialog or actions of the characters. It’s technical and detail-oriented and yet it isn’t without humanity. You can see in the actors faces their courage, their fear, their uncertainty… this is the Captain’s first command and he’s unfamiliar with the crew… and you can also see the crew’s confidence and then fear since everything doesn’t always go well. I love the storytelling-through-acting alone… no need or interest in dramatic monologues or arguments that wouldn’t suit a realistic US Navy warship.
And it’s almost a full 80 minutes of tension and suspense… the battle sequences feel realistic and certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. I can’t say how accurate everything is but it FEELS right… and knowing the devotion Tom Hanks has for his historical projects, I imagine they got everything as right as possible. It feels like you’re watching and learning a lot about naval operations, whether it’s the jargon, the surprisingly almost low tech machinery on the bridge, or simply how orders are given and responded to.
There’s a lot of CGI in the flick since they didn’t commission real WW2 era ships. But I think the effects work and do not look very video gamey in action (the trailer was a little concerning). In fact, most of the ship v. ship shots are filmed (or created) in a matter of fact, non-showy way. They are exciting and dramatic, but within the frame and needs of the story.
I would normally bang on about how a movie needs more character but I think the movie works so well and is short enough that the usual rules for Hollywood movie making need not apply. I really loved this movie and recommend it to everyone… even if you have to subscribe to Apple TV+ for a month and cancel it before renewal. Wish it had a better chance at the box office but there ya go.
Score: 91