Tonight's Movie: Greyhound (2020)

I enjoyed the World War II film GREYHOUND (2020) as much as anything I've seen this year.

It's 1942, and Captain Krause (Tom Hanks) has his first navy command shepherding a convoy of ships from North America across the Atlantic. His destroyer, call sign "Greyhound," leads several other escort ships protecting troop ships, tankers, and supply ships.

The story particularly focuses on the perilous few days when the convoy is in the "pit" in the mid-Atlantic, too far from either the U.S. or England for air cover to protect them from German submarines.

Hanks also wrote the screenplay, based on C.S. Forester's novel THE GOOD SHEPHERD, and he did an outstanding job. It's not your typical war film, in that it's a "procedural" focusing on one man's point of view. Most of the film depicts the captain giving commands; I note that at least a couple of reviewers wanted to see a different movie, but I found the drama of making life and death decisions under duress, often based on limited information or guesswork, fascinating.

The theme of the loneliness of command called to mind one of my favorite World War II films, THE GALLANT HOURS (1960), a profile of Admiral Halsey, played by James Cagney. While THE GALLANT HOURS differs in its lack of battle scenes, in other respects the films are very much alike. Both movies have a "you are there" intimacy seeing events through the eyes of the commander, with little insight into surrounding characters.

GREYHOUND also called to mind bits and pieces of other favorites. The most obvious comparison is probably ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC (1943), a film about the heroism of the Merchant Marine and perilous convoys which was released during the heart of the war. THE ENEMY BELOW (1957), focused on a destroyer battling a U-boat in the Atlantic, also crossed my mind, as did COMMAND DECISION (1948), about the stress of leadership.

The technical aspects of fighting the war made me think of SINK THE BISMARCK! (1960), in which naval commanders in London moved markers around on a huge map as they received intelligence and plotted out plans. I learned after the movie ended that it just so happens that SINK THE BISMARCK! was based on a book by the same author, so the comparison turned out not to be accidental.

The final film I thought of while watching this was a favorite comedy, YOU'RE IN THE NAVY NOW (1951), depicting Gary Cooper in his first naval command. Although the films are very different in tone, the themes of the stresses of wartime promotion are quite similar.

One aspect of GREYHOUND I especially liked is the film's respectful depiction of the captain as a man of faith. He starts and ends the day kneeling in prayer, and the way he lives his faith is revealed in moments large and small, whether it's saying grace -- I loved the mess man (Rob Johnson) echoing his captain's "amen" -- or the way he clearly struggles with knowing his ship's survival means others must die.

I also very much appreciated the patience he showed with his crew despite his personal stress. A pair of men who've been brawling are simply instructed to make up, with the warning that hell will rain down on them if a fight happens again.

When a nervous young man blurts out incomplete information at a key moment, the captain could have yelled or cursed with impatience, but instead the captain steadily tells him "Remember your training" and what he needs to know, and from there on, the young sailor regroups and performs perfectly. That's true leadership. It made me think of yet one more WWII film, THE LONGEST DAY (1962), and the great scene where Robert Mitchum encourages a young soldier to retrieve his rifle, later saying "Good for you, son!"

Speaking of the fact he could have cursed, another consequence of the captain's faith is that the men actually try not to swear in his presence, and when they do, they apologize. I loved that that was not depicted as any sort of ironic joke, but in a serious and respectful way.

The film is rated PG-13, mostly for stressful battle scenes in which boats and submarines are sunk and lives are lost. In that regard it's not for young children.

Otherwise the film is relatively family-friendly compared to the typical release these days; in addition to very limited cursing, the film is not graphic, with only the very briefest glimpses of injured sailors. The story of men performing heroically while their lives are on the line is inspiring.

The movie is also unusual these days in that it's only 91 minutes -- and several minutes of that is the end credits. The dramatic action is closer to 80 minutes.

GREYHOUND was directed by Aaron Schneider and filmed by Shelly Johnson. The supporting cast includes Stephen Graham, Matt Helm, Craig Tate, Travis Quentin, and Jeff Burkes. Elisabeth Shue has a brief flashback scene as the captain's sweetheart.

GREYHOUND is currently available for streaming on Apple TV+. It does not appear to be available on Blu-ray or DVD at this writing. I very much hope it will be available on physical media in the future.

With the many callbacks to other war films, one might think GREYHOUND could be written off as derivative, but that aspect actually delighted me, as the film emulates some of the best things about other favorites. 

I'd also particularly note that out of the countless World War II films made during the war and since, relatively few focus with this level of depth on the experience of leadership, and GREYHOUND is a unique and valuable entry in the genre. Recommended.

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