RESCUE DAWN (2006) - Movie Review

Director: Werner Herzog
Starring: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, Zach Grenier, Marshall Bell, Toby Huss
Genre: Adventure, Biography, War
Writer: Werner Herzog
Runtime: 125 min
Rated: PG-13 for some sequences of intense war violence and torture
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

During the Vietnam War, Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), a U.S. fighter pilot, is shot down over Laos and taken captive by enemy soldiers. Interned in a POW camp, Dengler and his fellow prisoners (Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies) endure torture, hunger and illness while they await their chance to escape.

Review:

The true story of Dieter Dengler fascinated legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog so much that he explored it both in the 1997 documentary "Little Dieter Needs to Fly" and the 2006 feature film "Rescue Dawn". It's a powerful story of human resiliance and survival, and a very atypical Herzog movie.

The movie falls somewhere in the middle between a Hollywood biopic and an arthouse drama. While at times it can feel a little too stagey and melodramatic, especially when compared to other grittier depictions of war, the affecting core of Dengler's experience shines through thanks to Herzog's unique style and the eschewing of traditional war movie bravado and patriotism. If there is one complaint to be made, it's that Herzog's admiration of Dengler interferes with a deeper multi-faceted exploration of the man.

The fantastic cinematography strengthens the film's surreal lyrical quality and hightens the theme of man versus nature that Herzog so often explores, while "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Time Machine" composer Klaus Badelt contributes a lovely heartfelt score that doesn't overwhelm scenes and isn't overused.

Christian Bale is his usual committed self, losing a ton of weight for the movie, and eating live maggots in a scene that will be difficult for squeamish viewers. But the real scene stealers are Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies who play Dengler's fellow prisoners. Zahn in particular is heartbreaking in a performance that revealed the actor's dramatic roots after a long big screen career of doing mostly comedies.

"Rescue Dawn" presents itself in a deceptively simple manner, but if you have the patience and willingness to let this movie sink in, you will discover a gripping story that touches both the heart and the mind.

SCORE: 9/10