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Greyhound
Tom Hanks not only provides his accustomed star power but adapted the screenplay for 2020's Greyhound, a taut and claustrophobic game of cat and mouse during a WWII sea battle that provides the expected sweeping drama and action, but does it in a surprisingly economic fashion.
This Apple original production opens in 1942, just a few months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor when Captain Krause (Hanks),a relatively inexperienced naval commander is given the dangerous assignment of leading convoy filled with soldiers and supplies for the British into an attack by a group of German U Boats who have made Krause's ship, the Greyhound, their primary objective.
Hanks adapted his screenplay from the CS Forester novel The Good Shepherd (not to be confused with the 2006 Matt Damon film about the CIA), which provides effective detail into military protocol, providing a sophisticated canvas upon which this action-filled drama unfolds.
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And it is this part of the story that sets this film apart from a lot of military dramas. The story pays strong attention to basic traditions of military rank and file minus a lot of the expected melodramatic conflicts that usually arise in stories like this one. Captain Krause is established as the leader of this mission immediately and no one under his command is ever seen questioning his command. On the flip side, Captain Krause, despite his inexperience. never loses his head, always knows what needs to be done next, and never disrespects or belittles his crew. Even when there are moments when he's not exactly sure what is going on or what he should be telling his men, he never shows any sign of fear or ignorance regarding his next move.
I was also impressed with a couple of scenes that seemed irrelevant as they were playing, but they definitely come into play later. At the beginning of the film, we see the Captain saying goodbye to his wife (Elisabeth Shue), who gifts him with a pair of monogrammed bedroom slippers. There's also a couple of moments near the beginning of the mission where we see the ship's mess captain (Rob Morgan, who played Mary J. Blige's son in Mudbound) preparing elaborate meals for Captain Krause because he's worried the man is not eating. We don't understand these scenes as they're playing but they both become relevant later.
The film is handsomely mounted by director Aaron Schneider, featuring Oscar-worthy cinematography (those dangerous waters look so foreboding) and film editing, and the ship itself provides the claustrophobic atmosphere the story demands. And, incredible, the whole thing plays in 90 minutes! Well done and Godspeed.
Tom Hanks not only provides his accustomed star power but adapted the screenplay for 2020's Greyhound, a taut and claustrophobic game of cat and mouse during a WWII sea battle that provides the expected sweeping drama and action, but does it in a surprisingly economic fashion.
This Apple original production opens in 1942, just a few months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor when Captain Krause (Hanks),a relatively inexperienced naval commander is given the dangerous assignment of leading convoy filled with soldiers and supplies for the British into an attack by a group of German U Boats who have made Krause's ship, the Greyhound, their primary objective.
Hanks adapted his screenplay from the CS Forester novel The Good Shepherd (not to be confused with the 2006 Matt Damon film about the CIA), which provides effective detail into military protocol, providing a sophisticated canvas upon which this action-filled drama unfolds.
And it is this part of the story that sets this film apart from a lot of military dramas. The story pays strong attention to basic traditions of military rank and file minus a lot of the expected melodramatic conflicts that usually arise in stories like this one. Captain Krause is established as the leader of this mission immediately and no one under his command is ever seen questioning his command. On the flip side, Captain Krause, despite his inexperience. never loses his head, always knows what needs to be done next, and never disrespects or belittles his crew. Even when there are moments when he's not exactly sure what is going on or what he should be telling his men, he never shows any sign of fear or ignorance regarding his next move.
I was also impressed with a couple of scenes that seemed irrelevant as they were playing, but they definitely come into play later. At the beginning of the film, we see the Captain saying goodbye to his wife (Elisabeth Shue), who gifts him with a pair of monogrammed bedroom slippers. There's also a couple of moments near the beginning of the mission where we see the ship's mess captain (Rob Morgan, who played Mary J. Blige's son in Mudbound) preparing elaborate meals for Captain Krause because he's worried the man is not eating. We don't understand these scenes as they're playing but they both become relevant later.
The film is handsomely mounted by director Aaron Schneider, featuring Oscar-worthy cinematography (those dangerous waters look so foreboding) and film editing, and the ship itself provides the claustrophobic atmosphere the story demands. And, incredible, the whole thing plays in 90 minutes! Well done and Godspeed.