Greyhound (2020)

Director: Aaron Schneider

Stars: Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham
Runtime: 91 minutes

Synopsis: Early in World War II, an inexperienced U.S. Navy captain must lead an Allied convoy being stalked by Nazi U-boat wolfpacks.

Performances: 6/10
Screenplay: 3/10
Editing: 4/10
Cinematography: 4/10
Score/Soundtrack: 4/10

Verdict: "Greyhound" had been on my radar ever since its trailer debuted. Not because it's yet another war movie starring Tom Hanks, but because it's the actor's first screenwriting gig. The Hollywood legend's resume speaks for itself, and I thought that he had surely picked up more than just a few writing tips along the years while working with some of the most talented people in the field.

The Apple TV+ original, however, wasn't exactly the ideal debut for his young newfound career. It wasn't a disaster, that I can assure you, but God did it feel stale. The (not true) story of a Navy captain tasked to defend his convoy against enemy U-boats in the middle of the Atlantic mostly sees Hanks barking technical maritime language for 90 minutes, which quickly got boring. The fact that the outcome of the battle is pretty much known from the get-go drastically diminished the film's stakes, which in turn removed all tension from the movie. Misplaced flashbacks, disposable supporting characters, ridiculous texts, some dodgy green screen action, a generic score, and the pale color palette adopted were also responsible for the film's dull atmosphere.

The more time passed, the less invested I was in the story, which by the end made me question its intentions. It wasn't informative, it wasn't entertainment, it didn't offer anything new or even interesting on a technical level, and I sure as hell won't be remembering it in a few days' time. Unless you're fascinated by sea battles or cannot skip a Tom Hanks led film, I wouldn't recommend rushing to check this one out.

FINAL GRADE: 4/10