Tom Hanks saves Private Ryan, saves plane passengers, saves prison criminals. This time, he turned into a captain during World War II, completed the escort mission and saved his destroyer USS Greyhound.
With just the right rhythm and Hanks' charisma, the film contributes to a gripping World War II naval battle.
However, I personally think that the captain played by Hanks is too perfect, almost acting as a war machine.
1 different war movies
During World War II, Captain Klaus, the destroyer of the USS Greyhound, served as commander-in-chief of the escort fleet, protecting 37 Allied ships across the Atlantic when they were ambushed by German U-boats on the way. Under the calm command of Captain Claus, they sank four German U-boats inconceivably and successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
A typical hero story, if paired with guns and bombs, is a classic Hollywood blockbuster package.
But the film didn't do that. And with the rhythm and atmosphere to build a soul-stirring naval battle, it turned into a different war movie.
The film is fast paced.
In the 10th minute, the naval battle started.
No artillery shells, no war, just a cloudy sea of evil, only digital reports in the command cabin and intensive orders from the captain.
This is also a picture of the whole film.
The whole film revolves around Captain Claus's analysis and orders.
The tense atmosphere brought by rhythm control makes the film not weaker than some big scene films.
You must know that the last time I filmed a U-shaped submarine was the famous "Hunting U-571". This film, shot 22 years ago, cost hundreds of millions.
And Greyhound, for only $50 million, did everything they could, and even better.
2 The nature of war
The essence of war is death.
Regardless of whether the purpose is good or evil, once a war is launched, it is only human beings who suffer.
If war movies deviate from the essence of war, they will go into unmanageable prejudice. A lot of war movies have this problem. The scene is grand and the action bursts. The nature of war can be ignored.
After all, war movies are about peace, not about fanaticism or concave shape.
For example, "Pearl Harbor" is amazing in terms of pictures and scenes, but the lengthy emotional line makes the war deviated from the theme and caused protests from many people who experienced the war.
Another example is "Battle of Midway". In history, the Americans, for revenge, monitored Japan in all directions and thwarted Japan at the Battle of Midway.
The war in the movie has become a tool for venting anger and showing off skills. Sea and air combat skills are very solid, professional tactics and intensive close-ups of the flight are impeccable.
But the pain caused by the war was ignored. The enemy is also a human being and a victim of war.
This kind of movie is so fun to watch for a while, and then forget it after watching it.
The core of why "Saving Private Ryan" is great is saving. Poke the emotional underbelly in ruthless war. The core of "1917" is also saving, they are saving an entire squad, which is constantly exposing the ugliness of war.
And "Greyhound" is not only a cool film, but the core of the story behind him is against war and longing for peace.
When the Greyhound sank the first U-boat, Captain Claus couldn't let go of the oil stains for a long time, and what flashed in his eyes was compassion. He knew that dozens of lives were lost at the bottom of the sea.
When encountering a drowning person, his decision was to return immediately to save the life.
Another heart-pounding scene is when night falls, the sky is getting dark, and the merchant ships lined up on the sea are like a group of poor sheep.
The German U-ships were like wolves, with ghostly humming, they entered the field to strangle. Like a pack of wolves in the prairie, silently stalking behind their prey, waiting for an opportunity.
The shepherds represented by the destroyer had no choice but to silently pray that the merchant ship would not be hit.
The camera slowly rises from the sea, floating above the dense clouds. It presents a sense of blank powerlessness and the cruelty of war. impressive.
This is the essence of war: cruel death.
This film can also depict the cruelty and ruthlessness of war in a short film length, which greatly elevates the height of the film.
3 The Lonely Giant
Obviously, the movie wants to make Captain Claus a big hero.
He was a devout Christian and gentleman.
He proposed to his girlfriend affectionately, and was grateful before every meal. He was sympathetic to the soldiers, read the Bible well, and used Bible quotations to comfort others.
When he killed the first U-ship and saw the oil spilled from the bottom of the sea, the pity in Klaus' eyes was far greater than the excitement.
In order to save the drowning man, he also ordered the fleet to forcibly return to wait.
He is also a combat machine, calm and decisive when fighting, and his instructions are precise.
He calmly dealt with every order, and explosion-like information poured into his ears, but he still calmed down and issued precise orders, patiently waiting for the German U-boat to enter the frigate's strike range.
Even when two torpedoes were fired at the Greyhound. Captain Claus can still calmly command the ship to evade. In the end, with only the naked eye and experience, he successfully commanded the ship to dodge between the two torpedoes.
God of war.
But this image does not stand up to scrutiny, and is somewhat far-fetched and thin.
First of all, the captain led a team across the Atlantic for the first time, and it was the first time he led a team to participate in actual combat.
He was successful in leading the team for the first time, whether it was luck or strength. The film lacks an endorsement of the captain's strength. For example, whether he showed great strength in training.
It will give people the illusion that he is kind by nature, so God takes special care of him.
Does this mean good deeds?
I don't think the movie will take this idea into consideration.
Then, the film lacks a portrayal of the captain's personal life.
The film's explanation of his personal character mainly focuses on the 10-minute confession rejection scene and the memory of his girlfriend at the end.
The other is to use biblical quotations to answer questions.
Other than that, nothing else.
very thin.
Finally, the story line of the film is too small. Basically there is only one, that is to kill the U ship to protect the fleet.
There was neither interaction with the crew nor a follow-up account of the feelings with the girlfriend.
Most of Captain Klaus's lines are commands, and the left is full of rudder and the right is full of rudder. He's like an emotionless war machine.
In addition to serving the plot, the characters are more attractive because of the arc of the characters. This is how the audience can relate.
Although Captain Claus is strong, he does not show enough character arc.
He is like a war machine, living alone in his own world. Occasionally go down to earth and save the world.
On the contrary, the captain of the U-ship who has never shown his true body, who showed flesh and blood in the radio waves, was more interesting.
Overall, it's a good movie, but it's a heart-pounding war movie for a small budget.
It's just the overkill in the depiction of the war and the lack of thickness in the characterization that makes Hanks a lone giant.
However, as a non-theatrical film, coolness is more important.
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