"Greyhound WW2 movie" Topic

I don't have Apple TV so I'm wondering if anyone does and has watched the new Tom Hanks movie.

Spoiler: he shoots a U-boat with a Colt .45.

I have it but I have not yet watched it. Planning on doing that this upcoming week.

Not great but OK.

A lot of the action is at ludicrously close ranges – I understand why for cinematic reasons.

Also – I question how the Hanks character would be in charge of the escorts for a convoy at this time. But I guess the novel is to blame for that.

On the positive, the action is well handled and I was never bored watching it.

It could have done with more setting up of the strategic situation and what the air gap was. They rather skipped over it.

I would agree with some who say a 6 hour miniseries would have handled the topic better.

Having read wikipedia on the novel I would have preferred a more faithful adaptation of the book. There are hints at Hanks' character's inner struggle but I would have liked less action and more dialogue or something to bring this out. Or a longer series with time for both.

Shame really because the Battle of the Atlantic deserves to be remembered better and known about by younger generations.

The movie was based on The Good Shepherd by CS Forester, with the main character an American escort commander, so, yeah, blame the Brit novelist!

Agree that a miniseries would have done that critical conflict a better service.

I have not read the novel. I wonder if there is more back story of why an inexperienced commander was selected. It's possible but seems to run against logic when the commanders of the other escorts had experience.

I'm curious why CS Forester chose to make the lead character American? Perhaps marketing played a role even then.

Hanks is way too old to play his role, but we are used to that. If the price for getting it made is having Hanks as the lead well so be it. He does OK within the limits of the script.

It's about 2 hours of continuous action and little character development.

So if you like movies with pew pew pew where you don't have care about anyone, it's great.

The podcast Hard Core History has an interview with Mr Hanks that addresses some of the criticisms above.

Very good movie. Even my wife enjoyed it.
Another good effort at making a war movie. None stop action from start to finish.
No problems with the movie.

We have a year free of Apple +. How much is the movie to stream?

I just listened to that podcast, and as a Brit. two things irritated me.
First they said until their defeat at Stalingrad nobody thought the Germans could be beaten. The Battle of Britain? El Alemein?
Secondly Tom Hanks spoke of how people from all nations were crews sailing in the merchant convoys, Americans, Canadians, Poles,…the list went on, but guess who didn't get a mention.

Better to read the book by CS Forester …The Good Shepherd

I did read the book. It reads like a screenplay.

Well done action aside, I liked the feel the movie had – a crowded wheelhouse (the film definitely showed the advantages of the RN high mounted open bridges) that leaked, constant decision making put before the captain. constant course changes, worrying about fuel, everything wet. I will watch this one multiple times!

Dave G

I actually enjoyed the movie much more than Midway…the CGI was much better (at least they were one a physical WW2 vessel).

Hard to see how a mini-series could have been made, especially regarding Hanks involvement in The Pacific and Band of Brothers, I'm certain he at least considered that option.

I really enjoyed it. I am getting tired of the 2.5-3 hour movie run time which appears to be the norm now.

Plenty of action and intensity. I liked all the interaction on the bridge. Nice to see the two British ships and the Canadian corvette mixed in. And some other nationalities for the merchant ships.

The ships were a mix of CGI and real ships. HMCS Montreal was used for the water/wake and North Atlantic scenes with a CGI version of the US ship making the waves. "In the film, whenever you see a bow wave or a wake or a ship turning, that's the computer-generated ship in the film with HMCS Montreal's wakes under her,"

The close action fighting was taken from real battles: HMCS Assiniboine vs U-210, HMCS Chilliwack vs U-744, and HMCS Oakville vs U-94.

I'd watch it again.

Just saw it this afternoon with four of my mates -- one a navy fanatic and two, like me, Army veterans. We all enjoyed it.

The 89 minute movie, except for a short bit at the start and end, was sitting on the edge of my seat, action packed. The intensity of the about three day fight compressed into about 75 minutes really got you involved. Using the USS Kidd, a Fletcher class destroyer docked as a museum ship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for all the close in scenes hightened the feeling on being there -- on the bridge and the wings. Plus I felt that the CGI was very well done, almost as if they were filming it live during 1942. I compared the intensity to the movie Das Boot.

Enjoyed it immensely and will probably buy the DVD/Blue Ray when it is released. Definitely one to watch again!

Jim