August 11, 2020
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant closure of movie theaters, producers of feature films have been looking for various online venues where they can stream their films, like Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, or many other options. Apple TV+ is one of the newer web TV services available only since November, 2019. This latest Tom Hanks project is one of the first high-profile films to premiere on AppleTV+.
During the Battle of the Atlantic, a convoy of 37 Allied ships, was crossing the North Atlantic to reach Liverpool. The convoy's escort ships were under the overall command of Commander Ernest Krause, who was also the captain of the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Keeling, radio call sign Greyhound. It was Krause's first crossing. When they reached the "Black Pit," an area in the mid-Atlantic where there won't be any protective air cover, their convoy was attacked by relentless fleet of German submarines.
One of the remarkable things about this film was its very short running time, very uncharacteristic for a war movie. Most war movies we see, both good like "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) or "Inglourious Basterds" (2009), or not so good like "Pearl Harbor" (2001) or "Midway" (2019) usually ran for more than 2 to 3 hours long. In stark contrast, "Greyhound" clocked in at a very economical at 91 minutes.
Director Aaron Schneider was able to squeeze in all the naval procedure and battle drama in with no extra fuss, and that was rather impressive. There was only a short introductory flashback set on shore which featured a cameo by the much-missed 90s actress Elizabeth Shue, who was the only female in the cast. After that, the rest of the film all happened onboard the Greyhound. Other more traditional directors would have prolonged that intro segment, and would have ended with a protracted and more flashy ending sequence.
The mission of "Greyhound" was grand in scope. but it was a far more intimate film. It was so compact, it focused mainly on Tom Hanks' face and the tactical decisions his character made. He was the only character we recognize and remember. Everyone else were faceless soldiers echoing and following Hanks' orders. Audiences can only connect emotionally with Hanks' character and no one else's, so the film's success lay squarely on his shoulders. Tom Hanks had repeatedly shown that he can do this, and he proved that again here. 7/10.
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