achyutaghosh

War is battle of economic might of countries. With that in mind, and without a functional navy among other things, Germany was always going to lose World War 2. Supplies from America kept Britain alive in the war. But there was a phase when the German navy terrorized Allied supplies through it's U-boats. Operating in packs, and attacking convoys at night in areas that were beyond the reach of air protection, German U-boats sank more than 6000 ships during WW2. When the U-boat strategy worked for a couple of years, Germany punched above their weight.

It is 1942, and Greyhound is the story of one such convoy to Liverpool- 37 ships, escorted by 5 destroyers. Ernest Krause, played by a typically composed Tom Hanks, is in command of the lead destroyer USS Keeling. But even without trying, Hanks exhibits more charisma than what is required. He has after-all played Captain Miller, Jim Lovell, Robert Langdon, James Donovan, and Sully.

The German submarines, led by one with the insignia Gray Wolf, begin their attacks 3 days when the convoys are 3 days away from air cover. The rest of the story is about surviving those 72 hours. Clocking in under 90 minutes, it is a taut, action packed thriller that eschews character building for an immersive, fast paced cat and mouse game of ships vs submarines. And immersive it is- watching the ships make evasive maneuvers, torpedoes careening all round, guns blazing, depth-charges exploding, friendly-fire at it's absolute worst, and a beautiful shot of the Aurora Borealis above the clouds during a night-time battle.

Greyhound is based upon C.S. Forester's 1955 novel- The Good Shepherd. Given the source material, the enemy is suitably faceless. Always unseen, always hunting, they are ferocious and smart. And while they are at it, they taunt well too.

"Gray Wolf is so very hungry. Your women will learn of your dying, and weep into the long night, before they turn to the arms of their lovers"

In Greyhound, Tom Hanks also earns his first solo screenplay credit in a 40 year career. It is interesting to see how actors write themselves parts, and being the lead in this one, Hanks does not spare himself the economical treatment. We hardly get to know him beyond perfunctory details like he is religious, he is green, and has a girl waiting for him back home. The other characters fare worse. The script is mostly a long list of rapid-fire orders that make sense only when contextualized with the vivid open ocean combat scenes. In feel, Greyhound is probably closest to Dunkirk, where Nolan showed how personality-less war movies could be made great.

In the end, the beauty of Greyhound lies in its simplicity and efficiency. It is a pity COVID did not allow it a big-screen release, where it should have rightly viewed. But for the audience, given the circumstances, better now than late. Now playing at Apple TV+

In Extraction, Chris Hemsworth does not have Mjolnir by his side. He still manages to ratchet up a triple digit bodycount to save a drug lord's son. How ungodly of him.

The plot is as simple as it gets- India's biggest drug lord's son gets kidnapped for ransom by Bangladesh's biggest drug lord, and the former enlists Hemsworth's group of mercenaries for the rescue. Of course, the obstacles start piling up, and Thor summons up all the thunder he can to save the innocent.

Neflix may have thought a movie set in Bangladesh offers novelty, but their treatment is so formulaic, that you replace Bangladesh with any other 3rd world country setting, the movie would virtually remain the same. The 10 year old child soldiers, machete waving teenagers, corrupt police forces and simply high gangsters could fit in anything set in Mexico, Africa or Burma. There is absolutely no attempt to develop the precious few characters in the movie, including the leads.

Seems Chris Hemsworth is saving his laughs for Marvel only. Here he plays Tyler Rake- a mercenary with a heart of gold and lot of bullets- you know the kind of characters Arnold used to play back in the 80s. Regular Netflix stalwarts Pankaj Tripathi, Neha Mahajan and David Harbour play side characters, but the one man that really makes every scene count is a buffed up Randeep Hooda. He stands toe to toe against Hemsworth in the action sequences, and gets a poignant send-off too. Rest of the cast are caricatures of the highest order.

Irrespective of the genericity of the plot, Extraction is probably one of Netflix's most well-choreographed action movie. and why not- given that director Sam Hargreaves has been the stunts director in a host of Marvel movies. Mind you, this is no Chad Stahelski, or Gareth Edwards stuff. Hargreaves trades off Chad's style, and Gareth's art for effective brute. It is a cocktail of everything you see in action movies- manic car chases, exploding helicopters, sniper fire, close quarter gunfights, and car crashes, and from a first time film-maker, really impressive at that.

Am sure he will only get better- and learn to nuance his characters a bit more, and make his movies a bit less predictable.

But the two things that make up my price of my time cost of viewing are the epic Thor vs Hellboy fight (can you do that, Marvel?) and making Hemsworth speak Bengali 😊

Indian don vs Bangladeshi don really? Whom did you think will win?

Extraction- playing on your phone.

No wonder 1917 is getting awards by the truckloads- it is a fine war movie. Not only because it makes you abhor war, like every good war movie does. Also because it is without being overtly gritty, a very realistic portrayal of those lowest in the pecking order- the infantry-man. And also for the fact that technically- it is a marvel.

It is also a very different kind of war movie. Thank god to the title, it did not need a prologue, or any character build up. We straightaway jump into the odd mix of silence and mayhem that trench warfare was in the First World War. We learn that the Germans have made a strategic withdrawal and are waiting to pounce on unsuspecting British forces chasing them, with the obvious mcguffin being telegram wires cut. The task of stopping the pursuing British forces from attacking the artillery reinforced Germans falls upon two Lance Corporals- Blake and Schofield, and they literally have to go through hell to succeed. Shades of another war epic from Spielberg I say, along with some inspiration from Tolkien of course.

"They're walking into a trap. Your orders are to deliver a message calling off tomorrow morning's attack. If you fail, it will be a massacre"

The plot is based on a true story told by director Sam Mendes' grandfather. And Mendes goes all in to make 1917 an experience like no other. For people unfamiliar with WW1, a large part of the war was fought through two opposing trenches- the land between them known as No Man's land. Last time we saw No Man's land in a big budget mainstream release, it was Wonder Woman's launch pad. Grim, but still comicky. In 1917, the opening tracking shot has to be admired not only for the authenticity of the sets, but also the way Mendes is able to show change in attitude and morale of the soldiers as we get closer to the trench frontline. No man's land is hell itself though- dead horses with files buzzing around, dead soldiers hung up on fences or caked in the mud, craters that much rather be euphemistically called death pits, prowling aircraft waiting to machine gun stragglers, and the rats that are constantly feasting on still festering bodies- there is death everywhere even if the enemy has long left.

"You are in no man's land. Which never moves, which never changes, which never grows older, but remains forever, icy and silent."

Blake and Schofield somehow make it through initially because they have each other. The loss of Blake at midpoint in addition to what he has already experienced strengthens Schofield's resolve further as he is on a race against time. And all throughout there are scenes that pay homage to past war classics- the encounter with a German sniper is reminiscent of Enemy at The Gates, the touching moment with the baby calls out to Ayer's 2014 tank classic -Fury, while the knife battle in the shadows again doffs its hat to Saving Private Ryan. It is to Mendes' credit that he makes Schofield's Frodo like journey believable till the end, even as he put his life one final time by sprinting through the battlefield to prevent the homicide.

The two main leads do not have come with loads of experience, but they do an excellent job. Pity that the script did not allow for a Game of Thrones reunion. In fact this is perhaps the only film in 2019 where everything comes together in a perfect symphony- music, cinematography, realistic sets, CGI, acting and the script.

The list of Oscar nominations for 1917 is a testament- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects. The best part is that unlike Joker, this is no award baiting movie. This just has a honest story to tell, and Mendes tells that with honesty and style, and that is why it is my pick for all the awards it has got nominated for.

This is a mesmerizing movie. Technically brilliant, and shot in a way that kind of immerses the viewer the way Dunkirk never could. Sorry Nolan.

Here is a bet- watch the movie, and if you are not running in your mind as Schofield makes his final dash, I will pay for your ticket.