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Reviews
Greyhound (2020)
A chilling game of cat and mouse
Greyhound is another historic treasure starring Tom Hanks as US Navy Cmdr. Ernest Krause. His task in this latest WWII flick is to assist other allied naval vessels in seeing supply ships safely across the mine and submarine infested waters of the North Atlantic to Europe.
Greyhound keeps the tension high by constantly reminding you of the unseen danger that not only surrounds them, but potentially lies ahead as they cross one of the most unforgiving bodies of water on earth at the height of the Second World War. What sets this film apart from most though, is that the lulls in action are as stressful than the bursts of combat they engage in. It's during the brief ceasefires that you realize what they're really up against and it's not just the German subs that literally taunt them from just beneath the surface.
Krause's inexperience sees him fall for some of the decoys the Germans deploy, leaving his crew, the supply ships and the other allied escorts even more vulnerable. What starts out as a show of force retaliation becomes a shrewd showdown of wits using nothing more than instinct, skill and bluffing past their weaknesses. And in the midst of all this intensity, Greyhound
perfectly conveys the subtlety and power of what is unspoken in times of battle. It's the silent courage, the refusal to give up, and the modesty demonstrated while facing adversity. This personalization and humanity of the story is what will ensure this film becomes a classic.
Overall, a great story about a rarely seen aspect of war that could have only scored higher by showing the perspectives from the other vessels who were a part of the same journey.
The Five (2016)
Forced distractions disguised as plot
The Five keeps you interested right from the start, even if it's only in the hopes of discovering the reason for the title. (Spoiler... that info is never revealed.)
The entire show leaves you feeling conned and the most deceptive aspect of the series is that you keep trying to figure out the importance of the subplots. Eventually, you discover that unlike other mystery thrillers, these subplots end up being nothing but smoke and mirrors. It seems their only purpose is to tease the viewer into thinking there's more to the story than what's on the surface. You keep expecting the side stories to reveal their connections with explosive twists but they don't... ever. It's almost like they were added as an afterthought in order to create the illusion of an impending "oooh, I didn't see that coming" moment. This poor attempt to throw a gotcha curve at viewers not only insults the audience but wastes everyone's time. More importantly, it distracts, creating massive disappointment for what could have been a classic whodunit series.