Hanks is determined to show that real heroes don’t wear spandex or capes; instead, they have doubts, writhe with fear, and make decisions driven by the need to survive. Greyhound is now showing on Apple TV.
Directed by Aaron Schneider, Greyhound carries the same energy and thrust as The Battle of the River Plate (1956), with a cat-and-mouse thriller at its centre, full of human emotion and fear. Adapted by Tom Hanks from C.S. Forester’s 1955 novel The Good Shepherd, this thrilling tale of bravery, doubt and seamanship has much to admire. However, despite the nerves, emotion, and futility of war central to its plot, Greyhound struggles to find its core message.
Based on the real-life horror of securing North Atlantic trade routes during World War II, The Battle of the Atlantic lies at the heart of Hanks’ and Schneider’s thrilling tale, paying homage to the merchant escorts and the 72,000 lost souls in the Atlantic’s turbulent depths.
Tom Hanks plays Captain Ernest Krause, a career officer on his first command. His vessel, the USS Keeling (call sign Greyhound), is escorting 37 Allied trade vessels across the Atlantic to Liverpool. However, the ships must pass through the ‘Black Pit’, a stretch of ocean unprotected by air cover, where silent German U-boats stalk their prey.
Hanks is determined to show that real heroes don’t wear spandex or capes; instead, they have doubts, writhe with fear, and make decisions driven by the need to survive. However, Greyhound lacks the time and space to build an audience connection to Tom Hanks’ Captain Ernest Krause, ultimately providing us with little more than a snapshot of the man rather than a full-bodied exploration of his faith, motivations and beliefs.
Visually, Greyhound is engaging and epic, with the ferocious waves of the North Atlantic battering the steel beasts that venture through them, as the unforgiving ocean becomes a character in its own right. Sound is equally impressive in enhancing the sense of isolation and fear. However, for all its positives, the lack of emotion and connection never allows us into the minds of the Captain or his crew. As a result, Greyhound never finds the depth needed to be anything more than a thrilling but thinly drawn war movie.
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