![]() ![]() ![]() The convoy is steady and grey, like an industrial city on the move. I wondered if Black Pit also signals the point at which he can no longer go by the book and has to stand on his own two (very wet) feet. It’s only after a U-boat attack that he starts to fret about his previous decisions. Initially his ability to turn himself (and his very fast and reactive ship) on a sixpence is supremely impressive. This is Krause’s first commander post, and a baptism of fire. That tension is not just because of the threat they face from U-boats and the disorientation as explosions rent the skies. Director Aaron Schneider delivers tension and sheer terror in bucketloads, though it misses out on characterisation. It’s almost old-fashioned in its sincerity though at only 90 minutes, it’s as far from a slow burn as you can get. Greyhound is based on a book by CS Forester, with a screenplay by Tom Hanks, who also stars as Captain Ernie Krause – in charge of his own destroyer (codenamed Greyhound) and the other three escort ships (codenamed Harry, Dickie and Eagle) protecting the convoy. Over 30,000 merchant mariners (overwhelmingly men though there were a few women who served and died on board) were killed while serving in the British merchant fleet during the war, including Indians, Chinese, and other nationalities the merchant navy death rate was around 27%, higher than any of the armed forces. ![]() German U-boats would attack in an area known as the Black Pit, which was too far from US and UK coasts for planes from either country to provide air cover. But just as terrifying are the glimpses we get of the dangers faced by the merchant seamen on the convoy ships and really it isn’t any less moving than if the film had focused directly on them.Īllied merchant navies suffered enormous losses during WW2 and particularly during the Battle of the Atlantic, which peaked between 19. Greyhound focuses on the claustrophobic interior of the US destroyer leading the escort for this American shipping convoy, bringing supplies and troops to Britain. Whoever it is, they’re doomed a few survivors are bobbing in the water though we find out later that only four made it to the scramble nets and relative safety.Ĭan you imagine being a merchant seaman on a tanker crossing the Atlantic during WW2? It must have been like travelling on a giant bomb where the enemy has the detonator. There’s a moment in Greyhound – just after an oil tanker has exploded and the initial flame burst has dissipated – that we see a tiny figure running along the burning deck. In a thrilling WWII story inspired by actual events, Captain Ernest Krause leads an international convoy of 37 ships on a treacherous mission across the Atlantic to deliver thousands of soldiers and much-needed supplies to Allied forces. ![]()
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