World War II has been a source of Hollywood entertainment for more than fifty years now. It’s easy to see why, though. So many inspiring and tragic stories have come from this era, and some stories still have not been told yet. The story of the Greyhound and the dangerous “Black Pit” of the Atlantic Ocean is just one of those stories.
Luckily, Greyhound is an exciting film that brings to life the dangerous world of naval warfare in World War II. There are some filmmaking miscues, but Greyhound is still an entertaining film.
Greyhound follows Captain Ernest Krause who leads an international convoy of ships on a dangerous journey to deliver much-needed soldiers and supplies to the Allied forces in Europe.
Greyhound doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel when it comes to World War II. But it is a bit different than some of the other World War II films we’ve seen before. First of all, the film is not much of a character film. Instead, this is more of a film where you experience what naval warfare was like back in the day. You get a sense of who Ernest Krause is, but you don’t see what makes him tick. At the same time, the film quickly glosses over certain story aspects too. If you dig deeper, you can see where Tom Hanks was going with the introduction of Elisabeth Shue’s character, but her appearance is more of a cameo than anything else.
Unfortunately, Elisabeth Shue’s character isn’t the only one that gets pushed aside. As it turns out, Ernest Krause the only character in the film that you get to know. The other supporting characters are simply there to help tell this treacherous journey. But as I said before, this isn’t a character film. Regardless, Tom Hanks, as he always does, commands the screen with his presence and performance. He also shows a vulnerability to his character through his strong faith in God.
The film takes place in a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean that is extremely dangerous, and an international convoy of destroyers is the primary source of protection against the deadly German U-boats. The film captures the importance of this convoy crew and shows how dangerous the German U-boats are.
It’s a gripping experience because the film doesn’t let up on the pace. It goes from one tense moment to another. So there is never a dull moment in this film. Not to mention, it’s also shot in a very claustrophobic way to get a voyeuristic feel. This is the kind of film that’s quick and straight-to-the-point. So there is no fat in the film at all. Unfortunately, there is a cleanliness look to the film that just doesn’t mesh well with the tone of the film. It also doesn’t make the film look cinematic and, in turn, feel generic.
Also, Greyhound has a seemingly accurate depiction of naval warfare. There is a good amount of exciting scenes, but peppered throughout the film is a lot of naval jargon that may bore some viewers. For the rest of us, there is a kid-like excitement to hearing all of the naval jargon in the film.
Overall, Greyhound is an exciting film that brings to life the world of naval warfare during World War II. This is not a cinematic epic war film that you might think it is, but it still captures the tense nature of traversing the dreaded “Black Pit.”
Rating: 3.5/5 atoms
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