Greyhound
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We are playing catch up by reviewing films that are a part of the current awards season.
I barely know what I want to say about this film. I could go into the really good special effects, or the surprisingly nice cinematography (mostly consisting steel blues and warm ambers), or the sound mixing and editing it was nominated for (the only reason why I’m writing a review about this film right now). I’m actually stumped as to what more I want to say about this, but I will try my best. Basically, Greyhound is an hour and twenty minutes long (with ten minutes of credits) of borderline nothing but World War II Navy warfare, and that’s it. That’s actually it. The film spends what feels like five minutes (probably less) setting the tone of Commander Krause’s life and feels that is adequate (I actually believe everything that doesn’t take place on a ship was filmed in one day; every image of Krause’s love interest is taken from literally the same scene that opens the film up). Aaron Schneider knows most war film buffs aren’t here for story, though. Who needs that? Just get on with the show, and stop wasting everyone’s time!
Even though this bothers me, I’m actually astonished by this. It’s also great news for me, because I don’t have to sit through phoney narratives in a film where the action and tension takes top priority. Nah, Schneider — who won an Oscar for his short film Two Soldiers, opted to take the writing of another short film and elongate it to feature length (not literally, but it’s how it feels). It’s an experience more than a tale, and that can’t be any more obvious. Again, what else can I comment on? How nice the boats look? How exciting the film gets? Granted, I’m not obsessed with films that have action just for the sake of action, but Greyhound couldn’t care less about boasting that this is exactly the kind of film that it is, and I almost enjoy it more because of this. It’s like having mustard if you hate mustard, but knowing that French’s didn’t mess around: this is literally just mustard, without trying to trick you about some nutritional facts nonsense, or trying to be hip in any way. You can’t just be mean about mustard just because you don’t like it, especially since it’s not trying to be anything else.
Greyhound is just a solid action-war film. Yep.
I’m at a loss for words. Basically, Greyhound is either the best news or the worst news. If you just want to experience some World War II battles — specifically the Battle of the Atlantic — without any filler or, gasp, substance, then Greyhound could not be any more relevant to you; this is the film you need to watch right now. If you like to have purpose and meaning in your characters and tales, then stay away. I get it, that Greyhound speaks on behalf of anyone that fought in this battle, but you still have to have some sort of nuance in the characters you show. Otherwise, they verge on being expendable. Luckily, Greyhound isn’t a stupid film, so even the thinly-written characters feel like they have souls, so even this is figured out well. I feel like I experienced a smidgen of what Das Boot achieved in a quarter (or so) of the runtime. Greyhound will be great to put on right now if this is the itch you’re trying to scratch, but you will not feel the permanent lingerings of a masterpiece like Das Boot. Again, that might be the best news to you.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.