Greyhound

A beautifully naive old school war epic about a soldier of Christ who resists the Germans in slippers. It’s a nice idea to turn a procedural perspective on its head and see the hunt for U-boats from the other side of the surface. If Hanks forgot about the completely necessary personal and religious mess and left it as 91 minutes of action zigzagging in front of submarines, it could have been downright catchy. This way, it’s catchy and funny, but I won't pretend that it’s worth watching throughout the footage. The perfect movie for Grandpa Simpson. And also for those who like U-571 and submarine movies in general. (12/07/2020)

Greyhound is a dynamically filmed adaptation of a book about escorting convoys of merchant ships across the Atlantic during the Second World War to territories that airplanes couldn't reach from the mainland. The sometimes nerve-racking maneuvers of giant steel ships are intensified by Neely’s background music with a spine-chilling whale motif. The mocking pack of Nazi wolves pitted against Christ – a real American – does not come across as ridiculously as you might think. Tom “Covid Survivor" Hanks again thoroughly relishes his role of a professional, logical captain, first doing what has to be done, then humbly leafing through the Bible, and then going to bed. Strong emphasis on detail, good length. The special effects were not consistently good. (14/07/2020)

As if, after Band of Brothers and Pacific, Tom Hanks needed to pay homage once more to the front-line heroes of World War Two. This film falls short of the parameters of a war movie for the big screen; it rather feels like an expensive TV production, with one studio, one incomplete model of the ship, a bit of wizardry with the weather, and lots and lots of greenscreen. At times it is monotonous with one order after another being barked at subordinates, but it also contains interesting ideas (to wit: the provocative radio calls of German U-boats). Hanks, who has the proper charisma of a captain, reliably keeps the picture afloat, and the torpedoes provide one moment of suspense – but overall, I’m not impressed. Das Boot isn’t dethroned by this. (02/08/2020)

It didn’t turn out to be such a terrible B-movie as the trailer made it seem at first. However, although it has a great pace from start to finish, you can't shake the feeling that its biggest advantage is, ironically, that it’s over in 90 minutes. A likable movie, nevertheless, full of pathos and often bordering on being unintentionally hilarious. (15/07/2020)

Set aboard a ship in the Atlantic, this medium-length war movie is kept afloat by Hanks’s personality. There is practically no development of the characters and the war situations and maneuvers carried out within them are not exactly clear, but the movie still manages to keep up the suspense and reminds you how hellish it must have been to there – no sleeping, no eating and making decisions very quickly and intuitively. That’s what Greyhound is all about. Pathos, yes, but subtle pathos. The film’s runtime and content are insufficient for the cinema, but a VOD release is ideal. (29/07/2020)