What to watch on Apple TV +: Greyhound

I had inexplicably failed to comment on this movie, one might say, the first big movie (along with The Banker) on Apple TV + and the one that made it clear that Apple's commitment to its own content channel was not lukewarm but one that involves to collect notable works to be exhibited.

The Greyhound Oscar nomination reminded me of this unforgivable failure and here I am, ready to fix it.

The Greyhound Argument

In the midst of World War II, Commander Ernest Krause (Tom Hanks) is assigned to command the destroyer USS Keeling with the codename Greyhound. charged with escorting 37 merchant ships traveling from the United States to Liverpool, to bring supplies to besieged England.

To do this, he will have to cross an ocean populated by German submarines whose goal is to sink everything in his path, taking advantage of the dead zone in which neither American nor British aircraft can protect ships (from a distance).

The film covers that path and takes a fairly close look at how easy it was to die without warning… even if you knew you were heading for probable death. It also highlights the survival lottery and how perseverance boosts your tickets so you get the one way trip to a better place.

Il migliore

Tom Hanks, who writes, produces and stars in this film, has no problem showing a captain with deep religious convictions and who recognizes in the enemy human beings like him, neither better nor worse.

They are small details, but they bring the humanity of the film very close. It is shot with budget generosity and they do not skimp on the means to show how insignificant the ships are in the middle of the ocean, how invisible a submarine is until you are really close to it and the fear, helplessness and pain of seeing what companions those you know have disappeared forever at the bottom of the sea.

Worse

The film features some time hops that make it a little more difficult to get into the situation, like going from a recent college graduate to managing a fleet with skill and coolness. The romantic scene could easily disappear as it adds little or nothing to the context.

Opinion

I've always been struck by the ability of Americans to take every little episode of their story, real or fictional, and turn it around to tell it with grandeur, heroism and, of course, moral superiority.

This is not the case in terms of moral superiority (they will make it clear that Americans are no better than Germans, they just do their job - even if there is a terrible bad German voice) but if in terms of this escort job, which might seem trivial, I am able to put the magnifying glass in and zoom in until we all want to command a ship and help save Europe.

Is it a "definitive" World War II film? No, definitely not. Will Greyhound make it to the list of must-see WWII movies? I doubt it. Does it deserve the Oscar? In any other year, there are sure to be better films. In the year of the pandemic ... who knows.

But it is a film that is no longer made. Now that it seems like everything has to be superpowers and time jumps, a movie with cannons, ships, etc. ordinary people, who bleed and die.

Greyhound is a film that thousands of people would have seen in theaters, had the pandemic not mediated, either for its warlike theme, or for its protagonist, or for being advised by others who have seen and enjoyed it.

That we can now see it in the comfort of our sofa, for free (for now, as long as Apple's promotion lasts) although with all the shortcomings inherent in home vision) is not just another nail in the coffin of cinemas, but it also transforms us into a privileged few who have saved a few tens of euros, a good film is coming… to our house.

If you have Apple TV +, you should definitely give it a try.

Did you see her? What do you think?