Starring Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan) and Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire), Greyhound is a fictional World War II film, though it is inspired by many real-life accounts from sailors and soldiers. The film follows Commander Ernest Krause across the Atlantic into U-Boat infested waters during World War II as German wolf packs patrol the “Black Pit” for merchant marine vessels carrying supplies to European allies.
To get an idea of the stakes of the action in Greyhound, think if Saving Private Ryan and Top Gun were shot in honor of WWII U.S. Navy infantry troops and pilots.
The sets and characters feel real and the pacing is very intentional; Greyhound starts with a bang and doesn’t stop until moments before the credits roll.
Greyhound, credit Apple
No Rest for The Crew of The Greyhound
The Greyhound, call sign for the Fletcher-class USS Keeling, is commanded by Ernest Krause, who has limited combat experience but leads the 37 ship convoy consisting of Canadian, British, Greek, and Polish ships. While the majority of vessels are merchant ships, the Greyhound is accompanied by a Canadian Flower-class corvette (call sign Dicky), a Polish Grom-class destroyer (call sign Eagle), and a British Tribal-class destroyer (call sign Harry).
When the convoy enters the Black Pit, a U-Boat surfaces and moves into attack formation. Krause puts the crew on alert and diverts course to confront the U-Boat head on. After the German submarine attempts to dive and maneuver underneath the Greyhound, Krause manages to drop depth charges just before it can disappear, sinking the U-Boat along with 60 German souls onboard.
However, the victory is short lived.
As sailors of the Greyhound celebrate, a Greek merchant ship at the head of the convoy is attacked and Krause must dodge more incoming torpedo fire to rescue the crew.
What follows is a life-or-death race to desperately-needed air cover on the other side of the Black Pit. To reach the Black Pit, the inexperienced Krause must outwit and outrun an aggressive squadron of German U-Boats determined to sink the Greyhound, Eagle, Dick, and Harry.
Historical Accuracy
Director Aaron Schneider went to great lengths to ensure the film was as historically accurate as possible. From restoring canons on the USS Kidd (a World War II era destroyer used as the backdrop) to burials at sea and Navy jargon, staff were directed to ensure each item in the film was finely tuned to portray an experience that was authentic and historically accurate.
“We even took pains to show we had the same rate of fire (cannons)… They were loud as hell,” says marine historian Gordon Laco who served as a technical expert on the film.
Even the close encounters and gun battles–where skirmishes broke out between German and American sailors where U-Boats surfaced and crew members resorted to pistols topside–were based on actual events.
“They were literally blasting each other with pistols, rifles, revolvers,” says Laco. “The cook even came out of the galley and threw an empty case of Coca-Cola bottles down the submarine hatch.”
And while the USS Keeling didn’t actually exist, the events of the film were based on historical accounts of Navy vessels crossing the Atlantic during this time.
In fact, the well-documented pre-war skirmishes between American vessels and German U-Boats are viewed by many as the catalyst for America’s shifting view on joining the fight against Hitler.
Early on in 1941, when America still maintained neutrality and resisted efforts to officially declare war on the Wehrmacht, the USS Niblack was the first American vessel to drop depth charges on a German submarine that continuously harassed the ship as it conducted search and rescue operations for a sunken Dutch vessel off the coast of Iceland. The U-Boat was ultimately driven back, but the encounter sent a message to Washington: No quarter will be given to any ship interfering with the war.
Going forward, Washington would have to protect shipments from the U.S. to England, which meant more incursions between the U.S. Navy and Germany were imminent.
As the U.S. increased its level of involvement in escorting merchant marine vessels to safety, confrontation with Germany escalated.
Does Greyhound Rise to the Top of the Streaming Queue?
Though many may be tempted to stream that other Tom Hanks WWII film for Memorial Day, Greyhound is a fresh and exceptionally well-balanced war film that deserves a spot on any summer streaming queue. The film must have done something right because Apple has already announced a sequel. Yes, a sequel to a World War II movie.
The sequel might seem unexpected considering that some in Hollywood consider World War II period pieces as being old hat. From documentaries to action-adventure and drama, and even entries into the horror genre (Overlord), World War II has been done in so many ways at this point–and done so well–that the success of any new entry into the genre isn’t a foregone conclusion.
But Greyhound nonetheless manages to carve a niche for itself in a crowded genre. The film achieves this by not letting the plot be burdened by unnecessary dialogue and by not trying to retell a story that has already been told. The script is clean, robust, and–like a wolf pack of U-Boats stalking their prey–it strikes with precision, and quickly.
Celebrating Memorial Day: To all of our sailors, airmen, soldiers and marines; we thank you for your service and hope all have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day.