Greyhound Image

Greyhound

By Alan Ng | August 2, 2020

My primary beef with Greyhound is the computer animation, and there’s a lot of it. We’re talking Fast and the Furious levels. Except for the ship’s bridge interiors and exteriors, the rest of the film is CG and obviously CG. It’s not that the CG is bad or inferior in any way, but I get it, the small AppleTV budget and dangerous stunt work at sea, makes this story cost-prohibitive. As good as the computer graphics were, it’s still enough to pull you out of the film. I describe the visuals as too perfect to be real. Our mind knows when a perfect picture doesn’t feel right. Honestly, it’s not a problem with Greyhound specifically, but the state of movie-making technology at this moment in time.

Story-wise, I like how the voyage was structured. Not necessarily a spoiler, the first Axis encounter ends in a win for our captain. It’s a brief battle that sets the tone of how future conflict will be played out, and starting with a win, and it immediately places us at ease when the actions become not-so-easy. Hanks wrote the script and should be commended for his story decisions and editing.

“…I like how the voyage was structured.”

The only cliched moments are the checklist of phrases soldiers and sailors tell each other to keep their spirits up. When the Greyhound is low on charges because of the previous battle, Captain Krause laments that he didn’t need to use as much as he did. Cole tells him, if the events of yesterday didn’t happen, there wouldn’t be a today.

Along with Hanks’ story and performance, the reason to see Greyhound is how it builds mystery and creates thrilling moments. The POV of the entire film is through Krause’s advantage. What he sees (especially in battle) is what we see. Wide shots of the battles are used sparingly and mostly for big movie poster moments.

For me, the thriller aspects of the film worked on me just before every fight. I wanted to stop the film and do something less stressful or worse fast-forward through all the death and destruction, though nowhere near Saving Private Ryan levels. Inducing anxious moments are signs of a great thriller, and Greyhound and I’m still sweating. My anxiousness aside, it’s nothing compared to those where were actually there, and I thank you for your service.

Greyhound (2020)

Directed: Aaron Schneider

Written: Tom Hanks

Starring: Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Elizabeth Shue, etc.

Movie score: 7.5/10

Greyhound Image

"…the entire film is through Krause’s advantage."

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