‘Greyhound’: Tom Hanks' WWII Navy Thriller Is Often Gripping But Carries Little Bounty [Review]

There are multiple ports of entry for Tom Hanks’ WWII, historical Naval action drama, “Greyhound.” It’s a screenplay Hanks wrote himself—certainly not his first, but it’s a rather infrequent occurrence— based on the 1955 novel “The Good Shepherd” by C. S. Forester, which denotes the actor/producer/writer’s personal connection to the material. It’s a big, expensive (and delayed) would-be theatrical release that Sony Pictures sold off to the Apple TV+ streaming platform for a whopping $70 million during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring (which suggests multiple things). It acts as a subtle rejoinder to the Trump era. And— released in the middle of the reigniting of the urgent Black Lives Matter movement— it purposefully calls attention to the fact that it has only one BIPOC character in the movie, a Black servant and cook, who has a decidedly adoring demeanor to his, umm, master (not a deal-breaker given it’s a tiny subplot, but odd enough that you might want to just strike it from the film entirely, given the optics of today).

Nonetheless, it’s a strange and odd, film, alternatively admirable and gripping, and also flat and one-dimensional. Hanks plays Commander Ernest Krause, USN, an inexperienced U.S. Navy captain who is given the assignment to lead an Allied convoy across the Atlantic, filled with supplies for the men fighting the Axis in Europe.

However, the film soon turns into, as the title suggests, a movie about a shepherd being stalked, hunted, and preyed upon by wolves, and how this marshal can protect and save his vulnerable flock—only this fleet armed with supplies and food for the Allied front is being stalked by Nazi U-boat wolfpacks. Perhaps naturally then, given the metaphors, “Greyhound” (the call sign of the USS Keeling vessel Hanks commands), takes on plenty of religious dimensions, the moral and honorable man trying to do right by his congregation, often praying to God that he has the courage, aptitude, and fortitude to make the difficult choices that will certainly come to challenge him. All of this feels old-fashioned, out of step, and even facile, frankly.

So, “Greyhound” has two elements to it— and one that begins the movie as Hanks’ Krause is about to set sail and tries to propose to his gal, Evie (Elisabeth Shue), before he ships off to war (she demurs, and says they should wait until they are together)— a mostly engrossing cat and mouse thriller about a caretaker and escort trying to outmaneuver dangerous predators and all the character qualities in the story that try and bring it some depth and contour.

Unfortunately for “Greyhound,” directed by Aaron Schneider, who helmed 2009’s winning “Get Low,” 11 years ago, all of the character elements, Hanks’ character’s faith, his seeming affection for the one Black man (Rob Morgan) who serves him (which is supposed to convey his caring, humanity and empathy), etc. are venerable on paper, but largely banal and hackneyed in practice. Thus, whenever “Greyhound” tries to make a subplot character detour that is supposed to stress the “good” in this benevolent man, this leader, who clearly cares for the well-being of his men and the importance of his mission above himself, the audience desperately wants the movie to go back to its thrilling hunt narrative.

Paradoxically, after sustained and relentless, albeit absorbing stretches of evasive maneuvers, defensive actions, and harrowing sequences of marauding U-boats destroying innocent convoy ships, the viewer is desperate for some kind of characterization, plot or story that can anchor the film. And again, when it arrives, we’re repulsed by its lack of complexity, and this push and pull continues until the film suddenly ends.

“Greyhound,” at its best, is a riveting procedural about warfare at sea, the tension of perilous blips appearing on the sonar, the way the captain and crew respond, either defensively or offensively, depending on the situation, the mistakes made, the crucial just-in-time small victories of survival, and the well-organized, hyper-efficient concerto that takes place on the Naval vessel for all these actions to be just perfectly timed. The tautness and anxiety of this livewire firecracker tightrope walk are excellent and gives the movie a captivating pressure, one that takes the crew through a roller coaster ride of fear, strain, and exhaustion that viscerally translates (crew members include Stephen Graham, Tom Brittney, and Karl Glusman). If alarm, urgency, subtle bravery, silent resolve, etc., is all you’re looking for, “Greyhound” will likely satisfy, but many would point you to “Dunkirk” for a similar war film with much more depth, heart, soul, and meaning.

To that end, while “Greyhound,” is nowhere near as silent—too many commands and communication to be ordered and given—it’s still filled with a lot of wordless moments, glances, and exchanges between men. It’s the subtext of how they really feel, the trepidation, the trust and mistrust of their Captain, his self-doubt, hoping his risky decisions pay off and don’t mean their doom, the horror and peril all around and the way everyone is trying to not buckle under the pressure and perform the duties that will mean the difference between life and death. In many ways, it’s a film about looking for meaningful leadership in times of crisis and men who can rise to the occasion, which obviously, is something of a subtweet these days.

“Greyhound” is meant to be a movie about the quietly heroic, generous, and self-sacrificing American man, perhaps a quaint notion in the era of men who claim to be willing to defend their country at all costs but can’t bother to wear a mask during a national pandemic, or aggrieved leaders who believe they don’t get enough glowing praise for fulfilling the most basic requirements of their jobs. The movie too is discreet and unobtrusive about its themes and meaning, never needing to boast about its own accomplishments. This approach, coupled with its savvy decisions to show emotion through subtext, is smart and admirable writing and filmmaking. Unfortunately, for “Greyhound,” as dramatic and absorbing its survival, pursuit and hunt narrative is, there’s a reason Sony sold the picture to AppleTV+ beyond not wanting to spend an additional $50-60 million on the marketing for a theatrical release if/when theaters return: while it races through the water with taut clarity, it never hits an anchoring dry land for the emotional, spiritual and guiding light resonance it was always sailing towards. [B-/C+]