Hanks keeps WWII drama on course
Even though he didn’t direct it, “Greyhound” feels like it was an absolute labor of love for Tom Hanks.
He produced, wrote and, of course, stars in the World War II naval drama — a film that was to have hit theaters in June but, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, saw its rights sold to Apple TV+, which debuted it Friday.
Hanks told The Guardian the film being moved from theaters to the home is “an absolute heartbreak,” the beloved global star referencing “a difference in picture and sound quality.” ( A recent advanced home screening did result in a lot of bass distortion from a pair of desktop speakers that normally have no such issues.)
But, hey, it’s simply nice that we’re getting a new Tom Hanks film in the middle of the pandemic, which, of course, saw the celebrity and his actress wife, Rita Wilson, become among the first truly notable figures to develop COVID-19 earlier this year.
While a bit slight at about 90 minutes, “Greyhound” — inspired by events during the Battle of the Atlantic — nonetheless is a largely gripping, visceral tale, one boasting a fine performance from Hanks.
Hanks adapted the screenplay from “The Good Shepherd,” a 1955 novel by C. S. Forester, and portrays the story’s central figure, Commander Ernest Krause.
In his first command, Krause is tasked with captaining the USS Keeling — call sign “Greyhound” — and protecting a convoy of nearly 40 ships transporting soldiers and supplies across the Atlantic Ocean. Most concerning is an area referred to as “the Black Pit,” often home to Nazi subs — U-boats — on the hunt for such vulnerable prey.
The journey will prove to involve several days without air cover. Krause and the commanders of other ships will do all they can to evade or destroy the hardto-pinpoint U-boats, all while running increasingly low on depth charges and facing other challenges.
As the aforementioned Guardian piece points out, Krause is far from the first captain Hanks has portrayed, the list including Jim Lovel in “Apollo 13,” Richard Phillips in “Captain Phillips” and Sully Sullenberger in “Sully.” With each of those roles and with this one, Hanks says he tries, through his performance, to inspire the viewer to ask what he or she would do in that leader’s shoes.
That’s really the genius of Hanks on screen — that accessibility and relatability. In his hands, a character seems like someone we could have been, perhaps if we were more-impressive versions of ourselves, anyway.
Because Hanks is so gifted at bringing to life these characters, it’s a bit frustrating that in the hands of director Aaron Schneider — and Hanks the screenwriter — Krause feels a little underdeveloped.
Sure, we see him hesitate to eat a decent meal, prepared by the ship’s concerned cook, in front of men. (On the other hand, he is not shy about pounding coffees as he spends way too many consecutive hours in command of the ship.)
And we learn he is a spiritual man — we meet Krause as Schneider shoots him from behind as he kneels praying by the bed in his quarters, setting a Bible down next to a small replica of a ship.
And we know he has a love interest. That little keepsake was given to him by a love interest (Elizabeth Shue) we meet briefly in a flashback early in “Greyhound,” a scene that doesn’t add much to the film.
Along with Shue, the only other familiar face in “Greyhound” is that of Stephen Graham (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Bohemian Rhapsody”) as Charlie Cole, Krause’s executive officer. As Cole dutifully and competently carries out
Krause’s orders — and during a couple of scenes in which Krause confides in his second-in-command — the two actors do some nice work together.
Again, though, Hanks is a joy overall, be it when Krause gently admonishes a sailor for celebrating the apparent sinking of a Uboat and the result of “50 less Krauts” — “50 souls,” Krause corrects him — or when he’s facing the many young men under his direction staring at him wide-eyed awaiting direction as their odds of surviving grow thinner.
While “Greyhound” is weak in character development in general, Schneider (“Get Low”) has made a rousing affair at sea. It is thrilling, for example, as
Krause calls out orders in desperate attempts to dodge several torpedos fired by U-boats.
And while the wider shots of the ocean — many of them action-packed — look more like the creations of digital artists sitting at computers than those of a cinematographer (in this case, Shelly Johnson), the goings-on aboard the Keeling are well-filmed. They’re energetic and fluid while also being just the right amount of claustrophobic.
“Greyhound” likely won’t sit among the most memorable films in Hanks’ storied career, but it should be anything but heartbreaking to Apple TV+ subscribers that they’ll have access to it.