Morgan BellREVIEW: Rescue Dawn
July 5th 2008 14:19
Directed & Written: Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Nosferatu the Vampyre)
Starring: Christian Bale (3:10 To Yuma, Batman Begins, American Psycho), Steve Zahn (Riding In Cars With Boys, Reality Bites, Forces Of Nature, Evil Woman), Jeremy Davies (Dogville, Ravenous, Saving Private Ryan)
Rescue Dawn is a really impressive prisoner-of-war film set in Laos during the pre-Vietnam-War air raids by the USA on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Herzog has created a dramatized version of the true story of USA Navy pilot Dieter Dengler that he previously filmed as a documentary in 1997 entitled "Little Dieter Needs to Fly". Dengler was a German-born immigrant to the USA who had dreamt of lying since childhood and was fiercely patriotic about his adopted country. Dengler's plane was shot down over Laos and he was taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese.
Christian Bale plays Dengler, the crazy optimist, who endures torture and starvation in the camp but also finds friendship with a small group of fellow prisonerss. Duane (Zahn) is genuine and adorable, and Gene (Davies) is dangerously underweight and a little unhinged. The story is essentially about Dengler's incredible optimism in a bleak situation, and the camaraderie of the men as they plot their escape. Bale is amazing in this role and beautifully captures the cheekiness of Dengler. The cast all lost weight to lend to authenticity and Herzog treats the story with respect and realism which makes this an entirely refreshing war film.
TRAILER FOR RESCUE DAWN
Starring: Christian Bale (3:10 To Yuma, Batman Begins, American Psycho), Steve Zahn (Riding In Cars With Boys, Reality Bites, Forces Of Nature, Evil Woman), Jeremy Davies (Dogville, Ravenous, Saving Private Ryan)
Rescue Dawn is a really impressive prisoner-of-war film set in Laos during the pre-Vietnam-War air raids by the USA on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Herzog has created a dramatized version of the true story of USA Navy pilot Dieter Dengler that he previously filmed as a documentary in 1997 entitled "Little Dieter Needs to Fly". Dengler was a German-born immigrant to the USA who had dreamt of lying since childhood and was fiercely patriotic about his adopted country. Dengler's plane was shot down over Laos and he was taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese.
Christian Bale plays Dengler, the crazy optimist, who endures torture and starvation in the camp but also finds friendship with a small group of fellow prisonerss. Duane (Zahn) is genuine and adorable, and Gene (Davies) is dangerously underweight and a little unhinged. The story is essentially about Dengler's incredible optimism in a bleak situation, and the camaraderie of the men as they plot their escape. Bale is amazing in this role and beautifully captures the cheekiness of Dengler. The cast all lost weight to lend to authenticity and Herzog treats the story with respect and realism which makes this an entirely refreshing war film.
TRAILER FOR RESCUE DAWN
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Comment by Cheryl J
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The acting was superb but funnily enough the actor I felt that slightly missed the mark was Christian Bale and I'm a huge fan. I'm not quite sure what it was but I didn't connect with his character at all. I think it was Zahn's best work as he is primarily known for whacky comedies. The true standout for me was Davies.
I just wasn't as impressed as I'd hope to be.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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i hadnt heard anything about Rescue Dawn before watching it . . . i agree sometimes expectations can ruin a film
Davies is becoming an expert at being the crazy soldier in war films
Zahn i just wanted to give a big hug
Bale was like a naughty kid, his humour and the glint in his eyes was really different for a war film
i liked that it was low budget and about the experience of the men rather than explosions and bravado
its probably one of the few "enjoyable" war movies ive seen
Comment by David O'Connell
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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oh you are very right about the score, it created a very haunting atmosphere
i found the torture scenes at the beginning a bit uncomfortable and feared it was going to be really intense like The Deer Hunter or Platoon (both great films but very grim) so i was relieved to have a bit of a meander around the prison camp and see the human side of all the characters
thanks for the comment