Aug 20

Aug 20 Aaron Schneider's "GREYHOUND"

GREYHOUND, available on Apple TV+, is a superb rendering of C.S. Forester’s 1955 novel The Good Shepherd. That novel (reviewed here) focused on a destroyer escort “shepherding“ a fleet of transport ships across the ocean in 1942 during the Battle of the Atlantic.

The destroyer escort’s captain during this perilous crossing is awake and on his feet constantly as German U-boats torpedo the convoy’s transport ships one by one. The novel is a highly compressed view of the crossing from the perspective of the captain and incorporates flashbacks of some of the events that led up to his getting this command.

The novel is a technically precise and almost minute by minute account of the captain’s constant guessing of the whereabouts of the U-boats and his decision making about steering and resource deployment in the face of dwindling fuel, ammunition shortages, primitive sonar and radar, aching feet, and sleeplessness. The book is relentless and nerve-wracking.

I had my doubts whether it would be possible to render such a mentally focused story cinematically. I am happy to report that the movie succeeds admirably both in its rendering of the story’s terrifying action sequences and in its portrayal of the captain by Tom Hanks.

Director Aaron Schneider constantly changes the viewer’s perspective. At one moment we are on the claustrophobic bridge or below decks as the captain and crew attempt to predict the next move of the U-boats. The next moment we have a birds-eye view of the convoy and see the burning of transports as they are torpedoed. Then we’re back on the bridge as orders are communicated and carried out. Then we’re underwater as the creepy foe looses another torpedo. The viewpoint constantly shifts but through tight scripting and even tighter editing we always know where we are.

As in the novel, the focus always returns to the captain and his shifting back-and-forth between necessary mental gymnastics and physical exhaustion. Hank’s performance is superb. This is some of his best work as he quietly portrays how one man deals with the crushing weight of responsibility and awareness that each decision he makes can – and most likely will -- result in death and destruction. No wonder Hanks’ reported disappointment at the lack of a theatrical release.

As in the book, the movie’s captain is a religious man, prone not only to silent prayer but to quoting the Bible. It’s all part of the character being portrayed by Hanks who applies the full weight of his acting to make this character believable.

The photography and special effects are exemplary. For anyone hoping for a movie to employ the full weight of cinematic magic in rendering historical events accurately, this movie will be a winner. Better than most films it shows, “This is what it was like.“

Also, if you must watch this at home at night on a big theater screen with a massive sound system, try to watch with a decent screen size and surround sound. This is a major cinematic experience.