Tom Hanks World War II naval thriller Greyhound has navigated turbulent skies and dealt with derailments before finally parking its wheels on Apple TV+. As is the case with many planned theatrical films in 2020, the movie rocketed past a couple release dates due to shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Sony to settle for a streaming release. Thats something its high-profile all-American star who famously endured a bout with the virus in March along with his wife, Rita Hanks lamented due to its big-screen audio-visual ambition. But maybe itll still be worth a watch on our smallish screens.

The Gist: TOO MANY SUBTITLES: TIMES, DATES, PLACES, ETC. Ill simplify: After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, forcing America into WWII, the U.S. Navy began assisting Britain in its conflict with Nazi Germany. Feb., 1942: Capt. Krause (Hanks) finally gets an opportunity to commandeer his own destroyer, the Greyhound, which will traverse the North Atlantic, running point on a convoy of 37 ships stocked with troops and supplies. The journey includes a harrowing two-day stretch in the middle of the ocean thats too far out from either side for air support. They call this maritime no-mans-land the Black Pit yipes because its the perfect place for wolfpacks of German U-boats, or submarines, to pick off ships with torpedoes.

So our captain has his work cut out for him. Two months earlier, which would be after Pearl Harbor: Prior to his departure, he meets to exchange Christmas gifts with his lady, Evelyn (Elisabeth Shue). He gives her a star ornament. She gives him monogrammed slippers. He says they should get married. She says shed rather wait until after the war, the implication being, she doesnt want to be a widow too soon. Grim. But they arent spring chickens. They know what theyre dealing with. These are handsome people, but they wear reality on their faces.

Back to the high seas: Kearse says bye-bye to the airplanes and keeps heading due east. A few beats later, the radar pings. U-boat. Bearing down. Orders are barked. Grease pencils scribble across glass. Switches are flipped. Knobs are twisted. Someone please fetch the captains sheepskin coat. Sonar? Sonar. Coordinates are passed on. Comms are commd. Maneuvers become evasive. Guns are fired. They got em. The mates cheer. But the captain just looks sad. Souls, lost. Will he finally eat something? He pauses to pray over a slab of ham and a cup of coffee. A silent moment. Its just begun. There are more Nazis in this pack. And theres still an hour of movie left.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Greyhound features a decent fraction of the Hanks performance in Captain Phillips and the hemmed-in qualities of a sturdy submarine thriller a la U-571 or The Hunt for Red October.

Performance Worth Watching: If youre not watching Tom Hanks in a Tom Hanks movie, then it probably has Streep, Denzel or DiCaprio in it.

Memorable Dialogue: Tom Hanks-as-a-Navy-captain is always, always polite, even when dictating a message to a flunky about his intent to blast a Nazi sub to hell:

Kearse: Ill escort to comm convoy, well run it down.

Flunky: Ill escort to comm convoy, well run it down.

Kearse: Wait, wait well run it down thank you.

Flunky: Well run it down thank you. Aye aye, sir.

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: My dad would love Greyhound. Hey Dad, you should watch it. Its a tight, exciting war movie, and Tom Hanks is in it. Im sorry its only on Apple TV+.

I picture Hanks banging out the screenplay on a vintage typewriter clack clack clack ding! KACHUNK so he can chatter procedural dialogue that might be dead-eye accurate or Hollywood hooey who but a seaman can tell but is nonetheless convincing. The relatively brief pauses between torpedoes and orders pertaining to starboard rudders or whatever allow him to develop Kearse as a man of great duty, faith and honor, a man willing to do what he must, but never exalting in the loss of life, even when its faceless fascist stooges taunting him over radio transmissions. His men respect him so much, they immediately apologize when they curse.

In his captains hat, sheepskin jacket and monogrammed slippers, Kearse is a good man, and Hanks, who has played Capt. Sully, Capt. Phillips, Capt. Miller and Mr. Rogers, is good at playing good men.

In the midst of a long, dark night of death and destruction, Schneider guides the camera up, over the melee, above the clouds to the electric-green waves of aurora borealis. Is this the puppeteer hand of Kearses god hovering overhead, or a profound but cold display of unfeeling beauty? Interpret away. Perhaps its destiny at work, and destiny in movies like Greyhound is so often just.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Greyhound ultimately is Minor Tom Hanks, but he still lends a modicum of depth to a gripping adventure.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream Greyhound on Apple TV+

See the rest here:

Stream It Or Skip It: 'Greyhound' on Apple TV+, an Old-Fashioned Tom Hanks World War II Thriller - Decider