HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Greyhound'' is a 2020 American
war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...
directed by
Aaron Schneider Aaron Schneider (born July 26, 1965) is an American filmmaker and cinematographer. His short film '' Two Soldiers'' (2003) won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He won an Independent Spirit Award for his feature film debut, '' Ge ...
and starring
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
, who also wrote the screenplay. The film is based on the 1955 novel '' The Good Shepherd'' by
C. S. Forester Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (27 August 1899 – 2 April 1966), known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Roya ...
, and also stars
Stephen Graham Stephen Joseph Graham (born 3 August 1973) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its television sequels ''This Is England '86'' (2010), '' This Is England '88'' ( ...
, Rob Morgan, and
Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Judson Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), '' Cocktail'' (1988), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), '' B ...
. The film follows a
commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
in the
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
on his assignment commanding a multi-national escort destroyer group of four defending an Allied convoy of thirty-seven merchant and troop ships. They come under attack by German
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
s in early 1942 during the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
, only a few months after the United States officially entered
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. ''Greyhound'' was initially scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on June 12, 2020, by
Sony Pictures Releasing Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainme ...
, but was eventually canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
after previously being delayed indefinitely. The distribution rights were then sold to
Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...
, which released the film digitally on July 10, 2020. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the action sequences and effective use of its 90-minute runtime. At the
93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...
, the film earned a nomination for
Best Sound This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awa ...
. A sequel is in production.


Plot

During the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
, convoy HX-25, consisting of 37 Allied ships, is making its way to
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. The convoy's escort consists of the USS ''Keeling'' (DD-548), radio call sign "Greyhound", captained by
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
Ernest Krause of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
; the British Tribal-class destroyer HMS ''James'' F80, call sign "Harry"; the Polish ''Grom''-class destroyer ORP ''Viktor'' H34, call sign "Eagle"; and the Canadian , HMCS ''Dodge'' K136, call sign "Dicky". Krause is overall commander of the escort ships, but despite his seniority and extensive naval education, it is his first wartime command. The convoy enters the "Black Pit", the
Mid-Atlantic gap The Mid-Atlantic gap is a geographical term applied to an undefended area beyond the reach of land-based RAF Coastal Command antisubmarine (A/S) aircraft during the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. It is frequently known as The Bla ...
, where they will be out of range of protective air cover.
High-frequency direction finding High-frequency direction finding, usually known by its abbreviation HF/DF or nickname huff-duff, is a type of radio direction finder (RDF) introduced in World War II. High frequency (HF) refers to a radio band that can effectively communicate over ...
from the convoy flagship intercepts several German transmissions, indicating the presence of
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
s. Greyhound identifies a surfaced sub heading towards the convoy and moves to attack. The U-boat tries to slip under Greyhound, but Krause maneuvers his destroyer above the sub and sinks it with a full pattern of
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
s. The crew's jubilation is cut short when they receive reports of distress rockets at the rear of the convoy. A Greek merchant ship was attacked by another U-boat and quickly sinks. Krause moves Greyhound to assist, and with careful maneuvering evades torpedoes fired at his ship. The surviving Greek sailors are rescued, and Greyhound returns to the convoy just as the bridge receives multiple messages from the other escorts: a wolfpack consisting of six U-boats is staying just out of firing range of the convoy; Krause suspects they are waiting for nightfall, when the escorts will have zero visibility. The attack commences that evening with five merchant ships being torpedoed and sunk. One U-boat
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
es an oil tanker and escapes Greyhound by using an underwater decoy device, tricking the ship's Sonar into wasting most of their remaining depth charges. Krause chooses to rescue survivors from the burning oil tanker, first, before going to the aid of the other ships. This decision results in the loss of a cargo ship. The next day, the wolfpack targets Greyhound. A member of a U-boat's crew, identifying himself as Grey Wolf, taunts the convoy and its escorts via radio transmission. Krause learns that Greyhound is now down to only six depth charges. The U-boats launch multiple torpedo runs, which Greyhound is barely able to evade. Greyhound and Dicky combine their attacks to sink one of the U-boats using surface broadsides. Dicky receives minor damage due to the close range combat, and Greyhound is hit on its port side by the U-boat's deck gun, killing Krause's mess attendant, George Cleveland, and two other sailors. During a funeral service that follows, Eagle is attacked and later sinks. Aware that he might compromise the remaining defenders, Krause elects to break
radio silence In telecommunications, radio silence or Emissions Control (EMCON) is a status in which all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area are asked to stop transmitting for safety or security reasons. The term "radio station" may include anything cap ...
by transmitting the single word "help" to the
Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...
. With the convoy close to reaching air cover, the remaining U-boats mount an all-out assault on the surviving destroyers. After heavy fighting, Greyhound sinks the lead U-boat with a full broadside. Air support deployed from British
RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
arrives and Greyhound fires, marking the last visible U-boat location, allowing a
PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...
to depth-charge and sink the sub. The two surviving wolfpack subs quickly flee. While assessing damage, Krause receives radio contact from the head of the relief escorts, HMS ''Diamond'', that they have arrived and Greyhound and the other two destroyers are due for repair and refitting in
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
. The crew receives a "job well done" on their four U-boat kills. While setting the new course, passengers and crew of the remaining convoy ships cheer Greyhound's crew, after which Krause is able to retire to his cabin and finally sleep.


Cast

*
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
as Captain Krause *
Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Judson Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), '' Cocktail'' (1988), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), '' B ...
as Evelyn *
Stephen Graham Stephen Joseph Graham (born 3 August 1973) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its television sequels ''This Is England '86'' (2010), '' This Is England '88'' ( ...
as Charlie Cole * Matt Helm as Lt. Nystrom * Craig Tate as Pitts * Rob Morgan as Cleveland *
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo Manuel García-Rulfo Lapuente (born February 25, 1981) known professionally as Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, is a Mexican actor and model. He is best known for roles in films such as '' Cake'' and '' Bless Me, Ultima'', as well as the television program ...
as Melvin Lopez *
Karl Glusman Karl Glusman (born January 3, 1988) is an American actor. He had a lead role in Gaspar Noé’s controversial pornographical drama ''Love'' (2015) and appeared in ''The Neon Demon'' (2016) and ''Nocturnal Animals'' (2016). Early life Glusman wa ...
as Red Eppstein *
Tom Brittney Tom Christopher Brittney (born 26 October 1990) is an English actor who is best known for playing the Reverend Will Davenport in ''Grantchester'' (2019–present). Biography Tom Brittney was born in Gravesend, Kent on 26 October 1990. He move ...
as Lieutenant Watson *
Joseph Henry Poliquin V Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
as Lee Helmsman #1 “Forbrick” *
Devin Druid Devin McKenzie Druid (born ) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Tyler Down in the Netflix series ''13 Reasons Why'', based on the 2007 novel by Jay Asher. Early life Druid made his acting debut with the release of the docu ...
as Homer Wallace *
Grayson Russell Grayson Russell (born May 1, 1998) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'' and the ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' film series. Life and career Russell was born on May 1, 1998 in Clanton ...
as Signalman #1 * Dave Davis as Boatswain's Mate #1 *
Michael Benz Michael Benz (born ) is an English-American actor. Early life and education Benz was born in England to American parents Thomas and Margaret Benz. He attended The American School in London before graduating from Georgetown University in 200 ...
as Lieutenant Carling * Josh Wiggins as Talker #1 *
Chet Hanks Chester Marlon Hanks (born August 4, 1990) is an American actor and musician. The son of actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, he has had recurring roles on ''Empire'' and '' Shameless''. Hanks also appeared as Joey Maldini in the Showtime legal dra ...
as Bushnell *
Ian James Corlett Ian James Corlett (born August 29, 1962) is a Canadian voice actor, animator, and author. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series ''Being Ian'' and ''Yvon of the Yukon''. One of his best-known animation roles was the first En ...
as captain of HMCS ''Dodge'', call sign "Dicky" (voice) *
Maximilian Osinski Maximilian Osinski is an Austrian-born American actor known for his recurring role as Agent Davis on ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''. Biography Maximilian Osinski was born in Austria, but raised in Chicago before mo ...
as captain of ORP ''Viktor'', call sign "Eagle" (voice) *
Dominic Keating Dominic Keating (''né'' Power; born 1 July 1961) is a British television, film and theatre actor known for his portrayals of Tony in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Desmond's'' and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed on ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life and ...
as captain of HMS ''James'', call sign "Harry" (voice) *
Thomas Kretschmann Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in '' Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' ( ...
as Grey Wolf (voice)


Production

Pre-production photography took place in January 2018 at sea aboard HMCS ''Montréal'', a frigate of the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...
. HMCS ''Sackville'', the last surviving
Flower-class corvette The Flower-class corvetteGardiner and Chesneau 1980, p. 62. (also referred to as the ''Gladiolus'' class after the lead ship) was a British class of 294 corvettes used during World War II by the Allied navies particularly as anti-submarine ...
, was used as the model for the film's corvette, HMCS ''Dodge'' (call sign "Dicky"). Producers took numerous 3D scans of the restored ship's exterior at
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
to create the CGI version of the corvette. In March 2018 filming commenced aboard USS ''Kidd'' in
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
.


Release

''Greyhound'' was initially scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by
Sony Pictures Releasing Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainme ...
under its
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
label on March 22, 2019, before being delayed to May 8, 2020, and finally June 12, 2020. Like many other films, it was removed from the release schedule in March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...
. Hanks himself had been diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier that month while filming ''
Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
'' for
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
In May 2020, it was announced
Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...
had acquired distribution rights to the film for about $70 million;
Stage 6 Films Stage 6 Films, Inc. is an American film production label of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions that acquires and produces feature films that are low budget and that are being released straight-to-DVD, on demand, or through streaming services. ...
was left as the sole Sony distributor as of the release of the film. It was released digitally by the service on July 10, 2020. Apple said that the film had the biggest debut weekend of any program in the platform's history, with ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' saying the figures were "commensurate with a summer theatrical box office big hit". In November, ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' reported the film was the 24th-most watched straight-to-streaming title of 2020 up to that point. Greyhound is available on Apple TV+.


Reception

On
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads: "''Greyhound''s characters aren't as robust as its action sequences, but this fast-paced World War II thriller benefits from its efficiently economical approach". On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
, in his review for ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', said the film is "less a drama than a tense and sturdy diary of the logistics of battle" and "though much of the action is set in the open air of the ship's command perch, ''Greyhound'' often feels like a submarine thriller: tense, tight, boxed-in". Writing for the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'', Michael Phillips gave the film three out of four stars and said: "Like the canine, 'Greyhound'' istrim, narrow of scope, and it runs efficiently and well despite a barrage of on-screen time stamps and vessel identification markers". David Ehrlich of ''
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
'' gave the film a "C−" and wrote: "A terse and streamlined dad movie that's shorter than a Sunday afternoon nap and just as exciting, ''Greyhound'' bobs across the screen like a nuanced character study that's been entombed in a 2,000-ton iron casket and set adrift over the Atlantic. The film offers a handful of brief hints at the tortured hero who Forester invented for his book ... but the whole thing is far too preoccupied with staying afloat to profile the guy at the helm in any meaningful way".


Accolades


References


External links

* * * *
Greyhound
' at ''
History vs. Hollywood ''History vs. Hollywood'' is a television show on the History (U.S. TV channel), History Channel in the United States. On the show, experts are interviewed on the historical accuracy of a film that is based on a historical event. For example, the ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Greyhound 2020 films 2020s war drama films American war drama films Apple TV+ original films FilmNation Entertainment films Playtone films Stage 6 Films films Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films not released in theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films directed by Aaron Schneider Films produced by Gary Goetzman Films scored by Blake Neely Films set in 1941 Films set in 1942 Films set in San Francisco Films shot in Louisiana Films with screenplays by Tom Hanks Films based on British novels Films based on works by C. S. Forester Films about the United States Navy in World War II World War II films based on actual events World War II submarine films U-boat fiction 2020s English-language films Films set on ships 2020s American films Films about the United States Navy