Greyhound: This WWII Epic will have you on the Edge of your Seat

Greyhound is a film that wastes no time. Not a second. It's a World War II epic that makes the audience feel like they're in the war. I watched Greyhound for the second time recently, the first viewing occurred during the blur that was 2020, and I was astounded at how tense the movie is on a repeat viewing. It's impressive how you still feel the tension on a repeat viewing. I appreciate how Tom Hanks and the rest of the filmmaking team made a film that shows a different side of World War II. Hanks, good as always and who can give subtle expressions that convey so much about the character, plays Captain Ernie Krause, a U.S. Navy officer charged with leading an Allied convoy across the Atlantic Ocean in early 1942. Krause, his crew, and the entire convoy are under constant attack from German U-boats. The music that plays whenever the U-boats surface is so effective in representing them as serious threats (you'll see what I mean). I've talked about how Greyhound excels, but what are some of its weaknesses?

Tom Hanks is a movie star and has been for quite some time. An obvious statement I know. Greyhound clearly revolves around Hanks as a result. This is not a problem of course, but no other characters in the film are particularly memorable. Greyhound wasn't going for a character study, but it would have been nice to see more of and learn more about Elisabeth Shue's character Evelyn or Rob Morgan's character Cleveland. We come to understand a fair amount about Krause in a short time which helps us really like him, but more development elsewhere would have been beneficial. Speaking of time, Greyhound is a very short film. It's not often that I would say a movie is too short, but I would say this for Greyhound. 

All in all, Greyhound is a film that knew exactly what it wanted to be. You won't find a complex character study here, but you will get an action-packed war movie. Your attention won't go elsewhere while watching Greyhound and you'll be exhausted once the film concludes, but it is definitely worth your time.


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