Back in 2020, Tom Hanks starred in the film adaptation of CS Forester’s 1955 novel The Good Shepherd.

The World War 2 story follows a US Navy commander on his first assignment, leading a multi-national escort destroyer group to defend an Allied convoy from German U-boats.

Set during the Battle of the Atlantic, Greyhound stars Hanks as Commander Ernie Krause, a Christian Naval officer whose mission is analogous to Psalm 23.

The Bible poem written by King David talks of God as the good shepherd who guides the Old Testament monarch through the valley of the shadow of death as his enemies surround him.

The 90-minute thriller received positive reviews and remains in Apple TV+’s Film Top 10 to this day.

Now Hanks is set to reprise the role in a sequel set two years on. This time the action begins with the Greyhound crew at D-Day before heading to the Pacific Theatre. Set to shoot in January 2026, Adolescence star Stephen Graham is in talks to reprise his role as Lieutenant Commander Charlie Cole, according to Deadline.

A release date is TBC, but we’d guess the film will be on Apple TV+ in 2027.

Viewers now have less than a week to watch a film noted for its gritty realism and depiction of armoured warcraft with an impressive cast set during the Second World War.

Set in April 1945, around the final months of the conflict, Fury (2014) follows a battle-hardened U.S. tank crew behind enemy lines in Nazi Germany.

Directed by David Ayer, the film stars Brad Pitt as Staff Sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier, with supporting roles from Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, and Jon Bernthal.

Led by Pitt’s character, the five-man crew faces relentless combat and the psychological toll of war, including the arrival of a new, inexperienced recruit.

The film explores themes of camaraderie, the dehumanizing effects of war, and the struggle to maintain humanity amidst the brutality of combat.

Its title comes from the actual name of the M4 Sherman tank featured in the movie – filmed using a real, operational Tiger 1 tank from the Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset.

To prepare for their roles, the cast went through a rigorous training regimen run by Navy SEALs, including living in a tank for extended periods. Pitt described the experience as one that was “set up to break us down, to keep us cold, to keep us exhausted, to make us miserable, to keep us wet, make us eat cold food. And if our stuff wasn’t together we had to pay for it with physical forfeits. We’re up at five in the morning, we’re doing night watches on the hour”.

Director Ayer also encouraged the cast to clash with each other – even physically – to build up tension. The practice reportedly led actors to end up with black eyes and bloody noses. “I am ruthless as a director”, he explained. “I will do whatever I think is necessary to get what I want”

Upon release, Fury wasn’t a major awards contender. Despite this, it got praise for its performances and authenticity, and is considered by some to be one of the most realistic modern portrayals of tank warfare in the media.

“Great acting, harrowing combat scenes and a sacrifice like no other. Fury strikes me as one of the most “real” war movies of our time”, reads one review on film criticism website Rotten Tomatoes.

“An excellent depiction of the horrors of war within the claustrophobic world of a Tank. Brad Pitt has many standout moments. And one of his best performances. A must see movie”, wrote another fan.

“In a way that many war movies fail, Fury centers itself on the notion that soldiers are not necessarily heroes, but rather brave souls ordered to inflict chaos”, pondered a commenter.

Fury (2014) will be available on Netflix until Wednesday, the 30th of April. From then on, you can rent it on Amazon Prime Video.

The 2024 edge-of-your-seat film Civil War is receiving rave reviews on popular movie platform Just Watch. The 109-minute epic stars Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Nick Offerman, and Cailee Spaeny, and is set in a dystopian future where the USA is at war with itself.

The synopsis reads: “A group of journalists attempt to stay alive and cover the outbreak of a second civil war in the United States. In a not so distant future, all out war has broken out in the United States of America, with 19 states already seceding from the union and the country divided into a so-called Western Force in Texas and California and the rest of the US. Meanwhile, a group of journalists try and keep the population informed at great personal risk.”

The action thriller, written by Alex Garland, sees four journalists travel from New York City to Washington DC to interview the president before the capital city is taken.

The movie is A24’s most expensive production, costing £37million to make. It grossed a whopping £95million at the box office. It was well received by critics, and has an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics on justwatch.com have given the movie stellar reviews.

Jack Seale wrote: “You expect a clever concept from writer/director Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) and you get one here, with a horrifyingly plausible, expansively rendered portrait of what America might look like if hatred takes over completely and its people turn on each other.

“It’s an eerily convincing dystopia. But in the story of photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst), reporter Joel (Wagner Moura) and friends trying to make it across a shattered country to interview the doomed President, Garland also finds a hyper-tense, addictive road-movie thriller where there is a dark surprise around every corner.”

Just Watch editor David Opie said: “Filmmaker Alex Garland cuts close to home with this dystopian action/horror that imagines the United States at war with itself. How this happened isn’t as important as the personal impact of the conflict that becomes painfully clear as we follow a team of photojournalists who chronicle the devastation with an unflinching eye.

“Kirsten Dunst reminds us why she’s one of our best actors working today, but it’s the sound design that steals the show here, pulsating with an undercurrent of menace that grips and unsettles in equal measure. A tough watch that everyone should see.”