'Greyhound': Tom Hanks' stellar performance stands out in the 'forgettable' WWII movie, say fans
'Greyhound', starring Tom Hanks, aired on Apple TV+ on July 10 and garnered lukewarm and even negative reviews. The historical drama is inspired by actual events from the Battle of the Atlantic. Hanks plays the role of a first-time captain, who is entrusted with leading a convoy of allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers across the treacherous waters of the 'Black Pit' to the frontlines of WWII. With no air cover protection for five days, the captain and his convoy have to face the surrounding enemy Nazi U-boats in order to ensure that the Allies have a chance of winning the war. The film is directed by Aaron Schneider from a screenplay by Hanks.
Despite having great premise and a stellar cast, fans don't seem to have taken too fondly to the film. While they have praised the visual and sound effects, many have said the characters were not fleshed out. "#Greyhound doesn’t offer a whole ton of story or fleshed out characters but this made me miss going to the movies more than any other recent streaming release. The visuals, music & sound are all top notch & it offers up another great Tom Hanks performance. Short runtime flies by," a fan tweeted.
"(1/2) Aaron Schneider's #Greyhound is well-made, but the extremely repetitive nature of the narrative (Hanks barking orders and dodging/shooting at U-Boats for 80 mins), coupled with a major lack of character development, makes for an instantly forgettable war film. #FilmTwitter," another wrote, "(2/2) Hanks, who also adapted the screenplay, clearly needed to do a few more drafts to flesh out the characters and story. #FilmTwitter #Greyhound@GreyhoundMovie."
"#Greyhound review: I enjoyed this, but it felt somewhat slight. It doesn’t feel like a cinematic release, more like an HBO TV movie. Shades of Master & Commander, but not much room for things like character development or context," a fan wrote.
"@tomhanks #Greyhound may have premiered on AppleTv+, but this takes nothing away from it, it is the standout film of the year. If you watch nothing else this year, just see this," a fan tweeted.
There were quite a few who lavished praise on the film. "Stop. Go watch Greyhound on AppleTV. Tom Hanks brings a masterpiece to your screen about a convoy escort in WW2 during the Battle of the Atlantic. It's another WW2 film that sets the tone & struggle of a man's heart vs his duty perfectly on screen," one wrote.
"Just watched #Greyhound what an amazing movie. Another classic that brings home the true sacrifice some people made," a fan said.
'Greyhound' is streaming on Apple TV+.