Tom Hanks indulges his fascination with World War II once again in Greyhound, a movie he not only stars in but adapted from the novel The Good Shepherd by C. S. Forester. We’ve never seen Hanks in quite this situation before, however. Greyhound tells the story of a multi-day battle in the Atlantic Ocean between a convoy led by the title ship and a “wolf-pack” of Nazi U-Boats lurking under the water. Hanks plays Ernest Krause, the captain of the Greyhound on his first mission -- a treacherous trek that was inspired by the real-life Battle of the Atlantic. The movie is straightforward in its execution, yet becomes increasingly gripping as the technical jargon of the Greyhound’s soldiers gives way to the human toll taken by the battle.
At a lean 91 minutes, the film stays laser-focused on the battle at the heart of the uncomplicated story. In a battle between the Nazis and the Allied forces, we all know who we’re rooting for and the easily discernible good guys and bad guys make it easy to get on the film's wavelength. The story is unadorned with information about its mostly interchangeable characters. Even Hanks’ character only gets a few minutes of development at the very beginning of the film. We know he’s deeply religious and he’s in love with a woman (Elisabeth Shue) who doesn’t want to get engaged until after his time in the war is over. The only other characters who make an impression are Stephen Graham as the Greyhound’s second in command, Charlie Cole, and Rob Morgan as Cleveland, a kind mess-hall worker.
What the movie is really interested in is the mechanics of naval battle. Soldiers plot courses, check sonar, shout and repeat commands and coordinate with the rest of the convoy. Initially, the fast pace and the nonsensical commands feel disorienting. But when the bullets and depth charges start to fly, things settle into a rhythm that becomes increasingly compelling as the movie goes on. At times, it feels a bit like watching an extremely elaborate game of Battleship as the Nazis and Allies take turns sinking each other’s ships. However, the battle sequences are well-staged by director Aaron Schneider, who keeps the action moving and the tension high as soldiers scurry around and U-Boats and convoy ships explode.
None of this would work, however, without the patient, avuncular presence of Hanks. He conveys a decent humanity that makes the story far more resonant than it might have been otherwise. Even without much development, Hanks creates a deeply felt character who is highly invested in keeping as many of the men under his command as safe as possible. And while he’s clearly conflicted about the need that creates for killing other souls, even if they’re Nazis, he ultimately steps up and proves his courage under extraordinary pressure. In the end, he cares, so we care, something few other actors could achieve with so little, but Hanks pulls off with nuance and sensitivity.
Still, there is one caveat: Greyhound is currently only available to screen on the streaming service Apple TV+. With theaters shut down around much of the world due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s understandable that the filmmakers would want to bring their movie to the masses however they could. After all, if they waited, who knows when the film would get a chance to unspool on the big screen. Yet Greyhound is the kind of movie that really should be seen in a movie theater. Its big battles on open water are the kind of thing the moviegoing experience is made for. Sitting in the dark with hundreds of individuals taking in this story would make the movie truly immersive. Unfortunately, seeing it on a computer monitor or television with inferior sound and picture quality lessens the impact. Although this certainly isn’t the film’s fault, hopefully Apple will decide to release the movie theatrically when things get back to normal.
In the meantime though, Greyhound is a worthwhile watch on Apple TV+. It’s a streamlined but exciting war film with a fantastic performance by Hanks at its center. And if, like Hanks, World War II stories are your thing, this is a must-see.
Directed by Aaron Schneider with a screenplay written by Tom Hanks, Greyhound stars Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan and Elisabeth Shue. The film is currently available exclusively on Apple TV+.