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3 Guys and a Flick...Movies, Rants, Reviews...Your Welcome. Movie review Podcast
🎙 Podcast Episode 246

Greyhound

Join the Guys as they enter the Black Pit with Tom Hanks for the lean, tense World War II convoy thriller where every bearing matters, every depth charge counts, and nobody gets to eat breakfast in peace.

Release Date July 10, 2020
Runtime 91 minutes
Director Aaron Schneider
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3 Guys and a Flick — Episode 246

Greyhound (2020)

ⓘ Details

Movie TitleGreyhound
Release DateJuly 10, 2020 on Apple TV+
TaglineThe Only Thing More Dangerous Than the Front Lines Was the Fight to Get There.
Runtime91 minutes
DirectorAaron Schneider
Screenplay Written ByTom Hanks
Based OnThe Good Shepherd, the 1955 novel by C. S. Forester
Is It a Remake?No. Greyhound is a film adaptation of Forester’s novel, inspired by the Battle of the Atlantic.
BudgetApproximately $50.3 million
Box OfficeN/A. The planned theatrical release was canceled during COVID-19 disruptions, and Apple TV+ acquired the film for streaming release.
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👥 Main Cast

Tom HanksCommander Ernest Krause
Stephen GrahamCharlie Cole
Rob MorganGeorge Cleveland
Elisabeth ShueEvelyn
Manuel Garcia-RulfoLopez
Karl GlusmanEppstein
Tom BrittneyLieutenant Watson
Devin DruidWallace
Chet HanksBushy
Grayson RussellSignalman #1
Maximilian OsinskiEagle
Thomas KretschmannGrey Wolf Voice
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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Sound: Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman
⭐ BAFTA Award Nominee — Best Sound
⭐ BAFTA Award Nominee — Best Special Visual Effects
⭐ Cinema Audio Society Award Nominee — Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture, Live Action
⭐ Critics Choice Super Awards Nominee — Best Action Movie
⭐ Critics Choice Super Awards Nominee — Best Actor in an Action Movie, Tom Hanks
⭐ Critics Choice Awards Nominee — Best Visual Effects
⭐ IMDb lists the film with 1 win and 24 nominations total.
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📖 Short Plot Summary

Several months after the United States enters World War II, Commander Ernest Krause leads the destroyer USS Keeling, call sign Greyhound, as part of an Allied convoy crossing the dangerous mid-Atlantic gap known as the Black Pit. With no air cover and German U-boats closing in, Krause must protect merchant ships, coordinate Allied escorts, conserve weapons, and survive a relentless wolf-pack attack. It is his first wartime command, and every order could mean the difference between rescue and a watery grave.
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❝ Key Quotes

“Greyhound, good luck surviving the night.” — Gray Wolf
“Not enough, Charlie. Not nearly enough.” — Captain Krause
“Repetition will bring hell down from on high.” — Captain Krause
“I’ve never had the gift for sleeping on board.” — Captain Krause
“The Only Thing More Dangerous Than the Front Lines Was the Fight to Get There.” — Tagline
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💡 Trivia

Director

  • Greyhound was directed by Aaron Schneider, who previously directed the 2009 feature Get Low.
  • Tom Hanks wrote the screenplay, adapted from C. S. Forester’s 1955 novel The Good Shepherd.
  • The film is a tight, procedure-driven war thriller that focuses on command decisions, naval communication, sonar reports, and convoy tactics more than traditional backstory.
  • Gary Goetzman produced the film through Playtone, continuing his long creative partnership with Tom Hanks.

Cast / Casting

  • Tom Hanks stars as Commander Ernest Krause, a fictional U.S. Navy officer on his first wartime command.
  • Stephen Graham plays Charlie Cole, Krause’s executive officer aboard Greyhound.
  • Rob Morgan plays George Cleveland, Krause’s mess attendant, whose concern for the captain quietly highlights the toll of the mission.
  • Elisabeth Shue appears as Evelyn, Krause’s love interest, mostly through the film’s brief opening and emotional memory.
  • Thomas Kretschmann provides the voice of the taunting German U-boat commander known as Gray Wolf.

Soundtrack / Score

  • The score was composed by Blake Neely.
  • The film’s sound design became one of its most recognized technical strengths, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound.
  • The sound mix emphasizes sonar pings, radio chatter, alarms, waves, engines, depth charges, and shouted orders to keep the tension almost constant.
  • The film also earned BAFTA nominations for Best Sound and Best Special Visual Effects.

Location

  • The story is set mainly in the North Atlantic during the Battle of the Atlantic.
  • Filming began in March 2018 aboard the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
  • Additional production used studio sets for the bridge and command areas, with effects work creating the ocean battle environment.
  • The film’s central danger zone, the “Black Pit,” refers to the mid-Atlantic gap where Allied convoys were beyond air cover.

Behind-The-Scenes

  • The film was originally intended for a theatrical release by Sony Pictures, but COVID-19 theater disruptions changed the release plan.
  • Apple TV+ acquired the distribution rights and released the film digitally on July 10, 2020.
  • Apple reported that Greyhound had the biggest debut weekend of any program on the platform at that time.
  • The reported production budget was approximately $50.3 million.
  • The movie runs only 91 minutes, matching its lean, mission-focused style.

Nostalgia

  • Greyhound fits naturally into Tom Hanks’ long association with World War II storytelling, including Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and The Pacific.
  • Unlike many large-scale war dramas, the film stays tightly focused on one convoy mission and one exhausted commander.
  • The movie’s almost real-time structure gives it the feel of an old-school naval combat thriller updated with modern effects and sound design.
  • Because it debuted on Apple TV+ instead of theaters, many viewers first experienced it as a home-theater sound-system stress test.

Easter Eggs

  • The ship’s radio call sign “Greyhound” gives the film its title, while the U-boat voice “Gray Wolf” reinforces the predator-versus-escort dynamic.
  • The convoy escort names include “Greyhound,” “Dicky,” “Harry,” and “Eagle,” helping clarify radio communication during the battle.
  • The film’s repeated use of naval terminology — bearings, rudder orders, sonar contacts, depth charges, and convoy signals — is central to its authenticity-driven style.
  • The character Ernest Krause is fictional, adapted from Forester’s literary commander rather than a direct portrait of a single historical officer.

Misc.

  • Greyhound is rated PG-13 and runs 91 minutes.
  • Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus notes that the characters are not as robust as the action sequences, but praises the film’s economical World War II thriller approach.
  • Because the film went to streaming, traditional theatrical box office totals are not applicable.
  • Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 246, with Don rating it 3.50, Ken rating it 4.00, Jon rating it 4.25, and an overall rating of 3.92.
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🔗 Sources Cited

3 Guys and a Flick — Podcast 246: Greyhound 3 Guys and a Flick — Ratings IMDb — Greyhound IMDb — Greyhound Full Cast & Crew IMDb — Greyhound Awards IMDb — Greyhound Quotes IMDb — Greyhound Taglines IMDb — Greyhound Trivia IMDb — Greyhound Filming Locations Box Office Mojo — Greyhound The Numbers — Greyhound Rotten Tomatoes — Greyhound Oscars — 2021 Ceremony Post Magazine — Greyhound Sound Team Vanity Fair — Making of Greyhound Wikipedia — Greyhound
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