ST. LOUIS — Ernest Krause (Tom Hanks) doesn't even have time to eat breakfast. He is a rookie when it comes to this U.S. Navy Ship commanding gig in the opening moments of Aaron Schneider's true story war tale, "Greyhound." At the dawn of World War II, before Normandy and ultimate victory, the troops needed supplies from overseas to help them fight and prepare for the bigger battles on land. If only it were that easy.
In order to get the cargo to the Allied Forces, Krause had to command Greyhound through "The Black Pit," a 50 hour window and stretch of the Atlantic Ocean where he wouldn't have any air coverage from U.S. fighter planes. This left him susceptible to German U-boats, who could pop up on top of the water and fire a torpedo from underneath the water line inside a minute's time.
That's the tale of the tape behind this latest WWII flick, one that runs smoothly on taut tension and trusted work from its cast. When you have a consummate pro like Hanks at the head of the operation and a fine character actor like Stephen Graham backing him up as his second in command, you can't go wrong. "Greyhound" is a brisk 92 minutes long, which means you don't get a lot of character-building time. For some movies, this may be a bad thing, but I wouldn't place Schneider's film in that category. He never lets go of your nerves here and never lets forget about the stakes.
After we find out Krause wanted to propose to his girlfriend (Elisabeth Shue) before shipping out-she turned him down, asking to wait until after the war was over-the action picks up big time and is relentless for the rest of the film. It's another high wire war film that places Hanks in his bread and butter zone. When you own three Oscar nominations and have traveled the entire loop of film genres, roles like Ernest Krause come to you quite easily. Since we believe in Hanks' portrayal, the rest of the film locks in and never lets go.
Believe me, "Greyhound" shares a few things in common with Rod Lurie's recent war film, "The Outpost." Both films place their protagonists under constant attack, which means they have to think quickly, move faster, and speak loudly enough to make it past the latest attack. While Afghan armies dropped mortars and endless bullet cases on that military base, here the problem is evasive enemies who like to radio into Krause's ship in between attacks and chirp the Captain and his men. Imagine being a sitting duck in the middle of one of the largest bodies of water in the world, and having to fend off small boats that can be as sneaky as they are deadly.
Here's the thing. You will chew off all your nails and probably need one of those tension balls to squeeze as this film progresses. The action comes from the white knuckle variety, with breathtaking CGI capturing the back and forth cat and mouse game between the U.S. Navy ship and the German U-boats. I didn't move once during this film and never trusted the outcome I had drawn up in my head.
Believe it or not, this is Hanks' third screenplay (after "That Thing You Do" and "Larry Crowne"), and it's a solid teleplay-powered piece of work. There's a rugged attention to detail that keeps the dialogue and events grounded yet exciting. There are no useless long monologues or added-on subplots to ramp up the drama. With this kind of movie, you don't need the excess. Hanks gives "Greyhound" what is needed in the screenplay and in performance. He's the engine here, guiding the film to its thrilling conclusion.
Comparable in tone more to "Bridge of Spies" than "Saving Private Ryan," "Greyhound" did a fine job of keeping me invested and teaching me an unheard truth about WWII. With this or any war, it's all about the sacrifice. The ones who fell so we and countless generations could keep on standing. You never lose sight of that here.
This is a strictly business film that does hit you emotion in the end, just the right amount too. If you are a war film fan, this will satisfy the soul. If you merely want an invigorating and thrilling tale lined with truth and sincerity, you can't go wrong.
"Greyhound" doesn't waste a second of your time.
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