- Starring
- Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Elisabeth Shue
- Writer
- Tom Hanks
- Director
- Aaron Schneider
- Rating
- 14A (Canada), PG-13 (United States)
- Running Time
- 91 minutes
- Release Date
- July 10th, 2020 (Apple TV+)
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Greyhound follows Ernest Krause (Hanks), a U.S. Navy captain during early WWII tasked with first command of escorting ships through the Black Pit or the Mid-Atlantic gap which was a part of the Atlantic ocean so remote that it could not be covered by air support during the two days needed for the journey. Meanwhile, German U-boats followed their group of ships, sporadically attacking the group with the goal to sink every single ship in the fleet.
The WWII genre is a dime a dozen; ranging from great, to awful, to just watchable. Greyhound is a film that falls in the latter category, one possessing very clear strengths for the most part while also occasionally missing the mark that manages to barely make a dent in the genre. Throughout the film, Schneider creates a few tense scenes involving U-boat attacks reminiscent of such works as Jaws. Just like that film, that tension coming from that sense of unpredictability and not knowing is one of the best aspects of Greyhound. Viewers will surely feel that tension as they will often find themselves wondering where the whereabouts of these mysterious ships and if Krause’s men hit their targets. Some of these scenes are quite exciting to watch.
Greyhound is a film that doesn’t offer much in the way of character or plot development, giving viewers a brief introduction to the characters before they are thrown into battle. That lack of information or any kind of answers forces the protagonists to make decisions fast. As a result, this gives the film a sense of urgency as events keep happening by the minute. Despite these positives, the film can’t hold itself together all that well. It never manages to instill in us more than just a curious look. While the film is intense, it never could pull viewers in completely. Though it may be interesting on the surface, it never elicits any type of physical connection in way that is like watching a car accident from a distance. It may look traumatizing, however, it’s hard to feel anything for those involved. The better and more memorable films create that type of emotional connection.
In the end, Greyhound’s best asset is, of course, Tom Hanks. Hanks is such a minimal, understated actor, that it’s easy to overlook how great he truly is as an actor. He has an uncanny ability to always deliver and he does here, once again. Hanks is an actor that is always riveting to watch, even when the material is not that great. In this case, he only has himself to blame since he also wrote the script! It is a nice albeit forgettable film that will ultimately work better for fans of war films.
still courtesy of Apple
If you like this review, look me up on Instagram for more suggestions.
If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook. Also subscribe to our YouTube channel.
