This recent movie by Tom Hanks was intended for a theater release this past year but that was disrupted by the COVID 19 pandemic. It was therefore instead released on Apple TV. It can't be claimed that the movie hasn't suffered in some fashion for this, but all in all the film is sort of freakishly suited for the medium in which it has been released.
Greyhound is based upon a novel by C. S. Forester entitled The Good Shepherd. I haven't read the novel, but according to those who have the movie is close to it. Forester was famous for his Admiral Hornblower series of novels set during the Napoleonic Wars, none of which I've read, but which have had a substantial following. According to those who have read them, this foray into World War Two, written by Forester in 1955, was a considerable departure in numerous ways, all of which seem to have found reflection in the film.
The plot line follows the convoy command of a U.S. Navy officer, Captain Krause, early after the official start of World War Two in the Atlantic. The officer, we learn early on, is older for his command, and this film, like Saving Private Ryan, cast Hanks, age 65, in a role for which he'd be very much too old in real life. However, like that film, and the recently reviewed The Big Red One, this film isn't hindered by that fact for the reason that generally individuals during the Second World War often appeared significantly older than their contemporaries of the same vintage would today.
The age is a significant factor in the story and apparently in the book as well, as it suggests that the ship's captain has had a stalled career. Indeed, early on it is hinted at that he's had a stalled life as the scene, which is nearly only a cameo, that introduces the film is before his departure for his new assignment in which he meets a love interest, Evelyn, played by Elisabeth Shue (age 57).
Shue is a long standing actress who makes only a brief appearance in this film. Associated most strongly with films from early in career, in which she played upper middle class girls next door, she's well cast in her role as well. At age 57, Shue can easily pass for a woman in the 1940s in her 40s, just as Hanks can pass for a man in his 40s at age 64.
That really leads us to another topic, which is relative age in eras. As we've earlier noted in other threads, the common suggestion that people "live longer" now than they previously did is erroneous, but an argument can be made that people aged more quickly in prior eras. People in their 50s common looked much older in the mid 20th Century than they do now, and women in particular, even though they have always lived longer than men, often looked quite old by the time they were in their late 50s.
All that's a topic for some other thread, but what we'd note here is that the relative appearance of the subjects isn't incorrect.
Before moving on with the film, on a final note with age, we should note that lots of military career officers were at much lower ranks, indeed, nearly all of them were, prior the start of World War Two. Stalled careers is a common subject for movies set in World War Two, with The Caine Mutiny and The Thin Red Line providing examples of the same. Indeed, the inevitable temptation to compare the captain and crew of the ship in The Caine Mutiny with the same in this film is pretty strong, although it doesn't go too far given the much different portrayals. Anyhow, there were in fact a lot of older officers in the service at fairly junior ranks when the war started. Eisenhower, for example, was a Lieutenant Colonel at the start of the war. The problem, however is that the military made a pretty pronounced effort to weed officers over 50 years of age out of the service, although it was an informal process and not universally applied. And also, I know much less about this in the Navy than I do in the Army. Still, its interesting to note that Chester Nimitz was 55 years old when World War Two started (and by contemporary standards, he looked much older).
Anyhow, having dealt with that topic, that comes up in discussions on this film, we can take Hanks role here as a Naval officer receiving his first ship command in his 40s as not unrealistic.
That long introduction sets the stage. The U.S. is early in the war and Hanks is a long serving Navy officer whom its hinted has had a disappointing career. He receives, however, command of a Fletcher class destroyer and, moreover, command of a convoy that's set to cross the Atlantic in the thick of the U Boot war. How does the film do historically, and otherwise.
Well, fairly good, but not without quite a bit of dramatic license.
Starting off, the film does an excellent job of portraying the absolute nightmare of crossing the Atlantic before the U Boot wolf packs were broken up and small aircraft carriers became part of convoys. The movie accurately portrays the convoy becoming vulnerable as soon as the convoy passes out of air cover. The film also accurately portrays the horrific attrition that convoys were subject to in that part of the war. Indeed, for much of the war being a merchant seaman in the Atlantic was the most dangerous occupation in the war. The film is also accurate in showing the convoy being multinational, with British and Canadian escorts as part of it.
Naval weaponry is accurate in the film as well, including the fact that defense weaponry such as depth charges were limited in number. Technology that was a feature of ships of the period, including the period sonar, is also correct and shown being correctly used, including showing its limitations.
Historically, however the movie becomes less accurate when depicts U Boot vs surface ship combat. Stealth was the only real advantage that U boots had and they rarely made daylight surface attacks for that reason. U boot speed was enormously hampered when they operated submerged but attacking on the surface made them incredibly vulnerable to destruction. Even small arms fire was sufficient to sink a submarine of the era. Therefore, while surface runs would make sense for a nighttime attack, and indeed were often done, or were done in bad weather when U boots could take advantage of that and their surface speed, they generally attacked submerged during daylight hours. The film takes, therefore, an enormous liberty in showing them in daylight surface attacks.
It also shows them to be much more immune to damage than they really were. As noted, a surfaced U boot was quite easy to sink.
German submarines also didn't make use of their radios to taunt surface ships, as shown in this film. In reality they observed strict radio silence as using their radios made them vulnerable to radio detection, which they feared.
On another note, before moving on to material details, it should be noted that the film does a really good job of showing the relationships between officer and men on a period Navy vessel. Hanks is obviously respected, even though he is green, but he's highly formal, but paternal, to his men. The cooks on board the ship are shows as being all black sailors, which is completely correct. The relationship between the older commander and the older, senior, member of the mess staff is one of the most interesting aspect of the film and very well done. The very small nature of the ship, with the interior scenes being filmed on board the USS Kidd, an actual Fletcher class destroyer, is very well portrayed. The spartan nature of the conditions on board the ship are also well portrayed, which for some reason they only rarely are. Most of the interior spaces of this ship look like a janitors closet compared to the same depictions in earlier films such as The Caine Mutiny or Mister Roberts.
Some of this of course fits into the topic of material details, but there's more to consider. As noted, ship details are excellently portrayed, including destroyer weaponry. Uniforms are correct and the movie does a good job of showing how formal officers uniforms remained even in combat at the time. U boots are less well done including the wolf portrayal on the conning tower of the U boot. Paintings on conning towers were normal for German U boots but this one simply does not look right. As earlier noted, a German wolf pack commander would not have taunted Allied ships at any point.
As a final note, one of the really interesting things about this film is the outward religiosity of it. It's frankly striking. Hank's ship commander prays throughout the film, both by himself at private moments and at meals, something he shares in common with the senior mess enlisted man. The title of the book from which the movie was made has a distinct religious reference from the New Testament, taken from the parable in which the Good Shepherd does everything so as to not lose a single sheep.
Indeed, even the Shue character and her relationship with Captain Krause is remarkable. Krause wishes to marry her, as its made plain. We don't know why she's single in her 40s, or why he is, and its not going to be explained. It is plain, however, that their relationship is one of deep affection, but its not portrayed as physical.
Hanks has delivered a series of great depictions of World War Two. This is one of them.
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