Greyhound

Holy moly...

Well, another amazing World War II endeavor notch on Tom Hank's belt. "Greyhound" was definitely an amazing movie. When I sat down to watch it, I didn't really believe it would be up there alongside with the likes of "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers", but it was. Oh yes, it was.

"Greyhound" is a very intense naval war movie, and it was just great entertainment from beginning to end. I particularly liked the way that the movie was filmed, because it felt very dynamic and action-packed, sort of like I was right there alongside the fellows aboard the Greyhound and could almost smell the brine in the air.

I must admit that I was surprised to find that Tom Hanks himself was the screenwriter for "Greyhound", and hats off to him for this achievement, because this was without a doubt a very enjoyable war movie.

The movie also had a great cast ensemble to boast, with lots of great performances from the actors in the movie. That definitely helped to add authenticity to the movie.

Visually then "Greyhound" was just spectacular. I really liked the presentation of the movie and the way it was shot. There was so much activity and realism in the scenes that it most certainly had a great war movie feel to it.

My rating of "Greyhound" is an eight out of ten stars. This movie definitely took me by surprise, and if you enjoy World War II movies - with a naval theme, mind you - then "Greyhound" is the movie you should sit down and watch. Quite entertaining and well worth the time spent watching it.

This is a movie about the procedure of command. This is an innately more complex task than the more common episodic approach that buries the procedural reality under a mask of plot and character. But this film pulls it off, largely by not shying away from the task.

Guess what? Naval warfare, especially the sort of highly asymmetric warfare shown here, doesn't really revolve around the captain demanding more speed while the engineer says she canna take it. If you're looking for a movie that's truly respectful of the labours and sacrifices made in the Battle of the Atlantic, then this is a fitting tribute.

Don't expect a character movie, don't expect to spend time below decks exploring the usual stereotypes. This movie is seen through the eyes of the captain, and the captain alone. I can think of very few other films that dare to depict the loneliness of command quite so clearly. There's little time for thought, there's no time to process or even truly grasp the horrors that they encounter (something which forms one of the roots of PTSD). What there is is the fight.

The fight is relentless and deeply technical. We've become used to fight scenes carrying a few bits of technical gibberish followed by some visceral and personalised action. There's no gibberish in this film, and the latter consists of the captain cutting his feet on broken glass. The movie, like the mind of the captain, is consumed with the intricate technical and personal demands required to hunt down a submarine at that time. That was clearly the aim here, and the movie has succeeded admirably at showing that particular aspect of this type of warfare. This is not a common way to stage a war movie, but it's worth doing well on a few occasions, and this movie achieves its goal.

The reviews show that many come looking for something more conventional, and end up missing the point, which is a shame.

Not sure why there's so much criticism. This was a thoughtful showing of what must have been a terrifying time for all the crews in the Atlantic It gave us nothing more than getting straight to the point kill or be killed in 24 hrs and to think the reality would have gone on for weeks . I thought the effects were great and the realism worked well , really saw what a cold , wet and very hostile place and they were stuck in a very cramped tin tub without a break . Because it was only about a day then the film is kept very short , especially compared to most nowadays. Just watch and enjoy and thank it will never be like that for any of us

Tom Hanks is like a fine wine; he gets better with age. He was very entertaining when he started out several years ago, and now he is as good as any actor in Hollywood. And now, he is also an accomplished screenwriter. He did a great job with this one, and I look forward to his next work. Greyhound is about a convoy vs a wolfpack of German subs. Simple story; complex features. The cinematography and pacing is first-rate. Thankfully, the film is not bogged down by romantic devices often found in WW2 films; it is strictly meat and potatoes warfare. Don't miss this one, and don't forget the sacrifices that generation made for us.

Loved the authenticity and general faithfulness to the technical side of naval warfare. For me, this is a great movie, I love seeing small little details in how the captain commands his vessel, and every crewman doing their job, and quick glances to the CiC trying to keep track of enemy vessels. The movie didn't need to show the crewman following the captain around and repeating every word that Sonar/Radar reports, but it does so and adds a very nice detail that I found to be great, and also helped build the stress and tension everyone was under.

My only complaint is that the movie could have been longer. I could definately have watched a 3 hour version of this that took it slower in the style of Das Boot. Other than that, I recommend this movie for anyone that loves the more technical parts of warfare and especially naval vessels.