Movie · 2020 · War, Action, Drama · 1h 32m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.6/10 (230.8K ratings)
The only thing more dangerous than the front lines was the fight to get there.
Overview
A first-time captain leads a convoy of allied ships carrying thousands of soldiers across the treacherous waters of the "Black Pit" to the front lines of WWII. With no air cover protection for 5 days, the captain and his convoy must battle the surrounding enemy Nazi U-boats in order to give the allies a chance to win the war.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.6/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.21/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Metacritic: 64
TMDB: 7.4/10
Director
Aaron Schneider
Production
Playtone, Bron Studios, FilmNation Entertainment, Sycamore Pictures, Zhengfu Pictures, Sony Pictures
Cast
Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Josh Wiggins, Tom Brittney, Elisabeth Shue, Will Pullen, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Karl Glusman, Chet Hanks, Jimi Stanton, Matt Helm, Devin Druid, Craig Tate, Travis Quentin, Jeff Burkes, Matthew Zuk, Joseph Poliquin, Casey Bond, Michael Benz
Where to watch
Apple TV Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, tightly engineered WWII naval thriller that prioritizes procedure, tension, and sound design over character depth. If you want a brisk, old-school combat movie with crisp tactical filmmaking and a steady lead performance, it delivers; if you need richer drama or broader emotional stakes, it may feel too spare.
Best for
viewers who like procedural war movies
fans of tense submarine and convoy combat
audiences who prefer efficient, no-frills storytelling
people drawn to Tom Hanks as a calm, authoritative screen presence
Skip if
you want deep character arcs or ensemble drama
you dislike jargon-heavy military procedure
you prefer expansive, big-scope war epics
you need a strong emotional or thematic payoff beyond the mission
Overview
Greyhound is built like a machine: compact, disciplined, and designed to keep pressure on the audience. It spends most of its runtime on convoy tactics, sonar pings, and the geometry of survival, turning naval procedure into suspense. The result is often gripping, especially when the film trusts its soundscape and visual clarity to do the heavy lifting.
Worth noting
Tom Hanks gives the movie its center of gravity, playing authority as calm under fire rather than grand heroism. That restraint suits the material, though it also means the film can feel thin if you want more backstory or interpersonal texture. The supporting cast is effective, but the movie is intentionally not interested in detours.
Bottom line
As a wartime thriller, it succeeds most when it embraces its stripped-down design. It is less a sweeping war drama than a pressure-cooker exercise in command, logistics, and endurance. For the right viewer, that focus is the appeal; for others, it may read as efficient but emotionally distant.
Top Letterboxd reviews
alec 🇵🇸 (2★) · 1034 likes
the 7th installment to the 'don't travel with tom hanks collection'
matt lynch (3.5★) · 619 likes
Sturdy stuff, a naval combat movie with an emphasis on tactics and geometry, really just a nuts-and-bolts look at how to sink a U-boat with clean visual lines. Also great: just how damn cool-headed and polite everyone is! Hanx
davidehrlich (2★) · 387 likes
At some point in his long and beloved career, Tom Hanks began to transition from America’s sweetheart to America’s serenity. He steeled a troop of soldiers on a veritable suicide mission in “Saving Private Ryan,” remained stoic as Somali pirates hijacked his container ship in “Captain Phillips,” and landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson without losing a single one of the 155 souls on board in “Sully.” It’s a screen image that has naturally spilled over into real… more At some point in his long and beloved career, Tom Hanks began to transition from America’s sweetheart to America’s serenity. He steeled a troop of soldiers on a veritable suicide mission in “Saving Private Ryan,” remained stoic as Somali pirates hijacked his container ship in “Captain Phillips,” and landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson without losing a single one of the 155 souls on board in “Sully.” It’s a screen image that has naturally spilled over into real… more
Nakul (3.5★) · 306 likes
I really enjoyed Greyhound. A straightforward, lean 90 minutes war procedural delivering a solid chunk of tension spiced with plenty of edge-of-your-seat suspense. Nearly every scene is just logistics, coordinates and naval jargon. Extremely effective at what it aims to do, makes good use of it's simple premise and doesn't outstay it's welcome. Also all the technical aspects in play are terrific.
I see a lot of people missing the point of the movie by complaining about the lack of… more
Vishwas Verma 🟠🟢🔵 (3.5★) · 276 likes
First of all, GREYHOUND DESERVED A BIG SCREEN RELEASE.
Stunning visuals, gripping, a nail-biting edge of the seat thrill from start to end but most importantly, Tom Hank's presence makes this film more exciting.