Let this review reflects that I really enjoyed this movie. It seems a lot of war movie fans didn’t, so since I only enjoy the occasional war film, perhaps it makes sense I would like Greyhound.
It is a surprisingly short movie at just over 90 minutes. Since I am a writer (though not a successful one), I can imagine the scriptwriter (wait, Tom Hanks!?) wanting to compress the action to help give the film a sense of immediacy, a pacing to match the key moments of battle. But who knows, besides Hanks and a few others? Not all war movies need to be of epic proportion; let’s allow some of them to simply tell a compelling story, if only for non war movie fans such as Myself.
Most of the acting is restrained, and that makes sense. This was the captain’s first real gig on patrol, so he needed to present a calm, commanding presence no matter how his insides twirled and spun. As for the crew, their lives depended upon staying cool under pressure. I really liked Stephen Graham’s quiet confidence in his crucial role interpreting the sonar.
I thought there was enough tension to drive the story forward, especially when you consider that the most tense moments are when you don’t see anything - while the U-Boat subs are under water.
There has been chatter that this war film is not realistic or accurate in key details, but I wonder about that. I see where the novel by C. S. Forester that the movie is based on was used as a navy training text for many years. So there’s that.
I plan to watch Greyhound again, as it strikes me as one of those movies that might reveal subtle details with a second viewing. That’s my story and I am sticking to it, as it gives mer a reason to re-watch it.
* Note: I just watched it a second time, and I stand by my positive review. I caught a few details I missed the first time by having the captions turned on. *